Persona: What Lies Beneath
by Constant-Daze
Summary: April 2013: Tatsumi Port Island had become one of the country's most thriving cities, dubbed as Japan's Business Capital. Add a feign underlying world, murderous shadows, and a Wildcard user without his memories, and you have the stage set for the mankind's greatest struggle yet. As fate's game reaches its climax, the choice must be made, to fight or submit. Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

The future is ever changing,  
driven by the lessons from the past and the desires in the present.

Each action, every word, even mere thoughts from an individual,  
cause the path to warp and twist as humanity walks forward, forced onwards by time itself.

Only when the present catches up are moments set in stone,  
there to be reflected on by all those who have lived to see it.

It's a seemingly endless journey which has been witnessed by the cosmos countless times.  
Beings learn, grow, and thrive upon their specks of matter within the vast void of emptiness.

But fate dictates that their desire to find their purpose,  
must lead to self-destruction, never to reach their goal.

According to fate,  
even the ever-changing path that is the future, has a set destination.

For humanity, the time of their oblivion is drawing near,  
and as fate's game reaches its climax, the choice must be made…

To fight… or submit.  
Only time will tell.

* * *

Chapter 1: Sunday, 7th of April 2013

Under the cover of the orange glow radiating from sun setting behind the distant hills, a train moved at a steady pace, swaying slightly atop of the tracks as it travelled. In one of train's many carriages, there was one boy incredibly unique from any other passenger. This boy, with unblinking eyes fixed on the blurring landscape on the other side of the window, was desperately trying to recall who he was.

Blocking from his mind the slight, constant rumble noises the train, the teenage boy pondered intensely on what had happened earlier that day. He remembered almost nothing, the imagines he pictured in his head, blurred beyond recognition. The boy slowly scratched the back of his head underneath his cyan hair as if it would help jog his memory.

_My name... my name is Isarota... Kota Isarota._

That was all he had. No matter how hard he focused on trying to picture another name, a town, a face, nothing else came to him.

"Iwatodai… Iwatodai… This is the final stop before Tatsumi Port Island… Iwatodai" The conductor's calm voice sounded through the intercom as several passengers prepared to disembark the carriage. The teen switched his focus to his right hand, which firmly clutched a small piece of paper. He opened up his hand, revealing the text on the heavily creased paper. 'Iwatodai' was all that was written. Heaving a frustrated sigh, he carelessly dropped the paper by his feet, seeing that there was no need to keep hold of it.

The train started to slow down as Kota took all the time he could to stretch his limbs, grab his bag and make his way towards the nearest exit.

Now off the train, Kota attempted to make his way to the station exit through the sea of people. What he was meant to do from here was still unknown, but he wasn't going to find out by just standing still. The station was packed with so many people that Kota had to push through them to be able to move anywhere.

As he moved away from the train, Kota's head started to spin. He started to feel himself lose his sense of direction after each passing second. Then a voice started to sound in his head. It was soft and barely recognisable at first, but what was one voice became many, and they all grew louder as he kept moving.

With sweat starting to form on his forehead and his breathing becoming shallower, Kota fell into a state of panic. He desperately forced his way through the crowd to the displeasure of many of those around him. He no longer cared about where he needed to go, he just wanted to get out of that damn crowd.

Then a flash of light blinded the teen and stopped him in his tracks. A dozen images flashed before him, disappearing as quickly as they had come. Kota screamed in pain as he let go of his bag and fell on all fours. The teen breathed heavily and swore under his breath as he tried to collect himself.

As he slowed his breathing down, Kota attempted to recap what he had just seen, but couldn't properly recall anything at all. He didn't get a good look at them since it happened so quickly. The fact that he seemed to have forgotten everything before the train ride was disturbing enough without him seeing things and having panic attacks on top of that.

"Uh hey... Are you ok?" Kota looked up to see that several people had gathered around him having just witness his fall, all with looks of either concern or annoyance on their faces. What he also saw was a pair of sliding doors before him that led to the streets of Iwatodai.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kota quickly grabbed his bag and briskly moved to the exit. He didn't care to look back. He just wanted to get out of there.

* * *

Kota sat down at the steps in front of the station and panted. He could feel the sweat pour down his warm forehead, but at least he was able to take in the fresh air after spending all those hours on the train. When his heart rate finally started to drop, Kota switched his focus to his surroundings.

The sun was now barely visible over the building opposite the station, emitting a warm, twilight glow over the city. Locals filled the streets in front of the a modestly sized building which was home to bookshops, fast food joints, and other stores which were bustling with activity. The place looked so small when compared to the many larger buildings, and yet so lively. A small smile crept up on Kota face after finally feeling for the first time that he could relax and not having to worry about where he was and what he was going to do now.

But at that moment something else caught his eye. A small, but bright blue light appeared from behind the four-story building. It seemed to slowly approach him as Kota kept his unwavering focus on the light. Soon it was close enough for Kota to see what it really was, a tiny blue butterfly. Kota stood up to get a closer look at the insect as it fluttered around him in circles, immensely transfixed in its beauty.

"Isarota-san?" A male's voice caused him to snap his head in its direction. The man that was standing there appeared to be in his forties, looking at Kota through his thick-rimmed glasses as he waited for a reply. He presented himself rather formally, wearing a striped dark suit and yellow tie along with having his short black hair gelled back.

"W-What do you want?" Kota couldn't help himself from trying to take another glance of the butterfly, but it was nowhere to be seen when he turned back around.

"Oh thank goodness it's you! If you weren't wearing your school uniform, I would never have found you." Kota looked down at his clothes to see that he was indeed wearing a uniform of some sort. It was mostly black in colour. Black pants, black jacket, black tie, but the jacket was unbuttoned to show that Kota was wearing a white shirt underneath. He then slowly turned around to face the man once more.

"Who are you?" The man started to look a little flustered, as if he had just been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh! My apologies, my name is Masata Kobayashi. I'm the principle of Gekkoukan High School."

The school didn't ring any bells, yet he was wearing what he assumed was their school uniform. Not only that, but he was also talking to the school's principle. Did he really move over here to attend this school? Kobayashi scratched the back of his head and continued to talk.

"I-It's my first year as the school's principle so a lot of this is new to me, ha, ha..." Kobayashi 's nervous laugh did a bad job of relieving the tension, so Kota figured that it was about time he had said something.

"It's nice to meet you Kobayashi-san." The man quietly sighed from relief and gave Kota a cheesy grin. The grin looked to be almost too big to fit on his face and didn't suit him at all.

"Great. Same goes to you Isarota-san. As you would know, I'm here to escort you to your school dorm." Kota raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"Actually, I didn't hear anything about that." He spoke up before thinking about what he had just said.

"Y-You didn't?" Kota wanted to kick himself. Whoever put him on that train probably wanted him to attend this school. Kobayashi looked like he was about to get flustered again, but managed to collect himself before continuing. "Well you've been booked to stay in one of our dorms for the next year while you carry out your schooling at Gekkoukan."

"I see..." Kota could only assume that he did have a purpose for being here. He just had to go with it, at least until he gets more of an idea as to why he was there in the first place.

"Anyway, we should start heading off before it gets dark," Kobayashi stated. "I'll get your bag. Would you kindly follow me to the car?"

* * *

Kobayashi blabbered on during the whole five minutes they were in the car for. He was mostly going on about Gekkoukan High and the place where it was located, Tatsumi Port Island. It all bored Kota so he ended up ignoring his chatty principle, but the worse thing was that he wasn't able to ask Kobayashi about things he actually cared about.

"Well, here we are. This will be your new home for the next year." Kobayashi said as he stopped the vehicle in front of a four-story building. It looked a little old compared to some of the more modern buildings on the same street, but it's age only made it look all the more elegant. Upon entering the building, Kota instantly noticed that the interior of the building had more or less complemented its exterior.

The entrance lounge took up the entire first floor with the exception of a small kitchen area towards the back of the building. The lounge itself looked rather pleasant, containing four pieces of furniture around a coffee table and an old television set. There was even a counter to the left of that front door that looked like it had been taken straight from a hotel lobby.

"So where are the all my roommates?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you," Kobayashi gave a little chuckle "You don't have any. You see this building has only recently been reopened for you since the other dormitories we have are all full." Kota slightly nodded. The thought of having to stay in a dormitory alone annoyed him somewhat. He had been alone for the entire day on the train over to Iwatodai, so he was looking forward to being in the company of someone his own age.

"Do you have any questions for me while I'm here?" Kota's face lit up after hearing this. He had already forgotten that he was hoping to get some information about him Kobayashi.

"What do you know about me?" Kobayashi just raised an eyebrow at the student in confusion. "I mean... I seem to have suffered a bit of a brain fade so..." No matter how Kota would put it would sound strange so he remained quiet and waited for Kobayashi 's response.

"Wow, you are the first student I have come across that had suffered from amnesia." For whatever reason, Kobayashi was trying to stop himself from laughing. "Then again you are one of the first students I've met so that's not saying much!"

The principle burst out laughing as if he had just witnessed a guy run into a pole in some slapstick TV show. As soon as Kobayashi saw that Kota was in fact, not laughing, he quickly pulled himself together and cleared his throat.

"Well as I have said before, your enrolment into the school was sudden which was rather odd. I'm sorry to have to say this but I'm not sure if I'll be able to help you." Kota couldn't believe the poor luck he was having. He had hoped to have finally been told something about his past, but it turned out that Kobayashi couldn't tell him anything.

"Hey don't stress Isarota-san, I'll look at the enrolment form and see if there is anything of use there."

"Yeah, that would be good..." The offer didn't help Kota's mood, but at least he may actually learn something about himself in the near future.

"Great!" Kobayashi once again misread the situation and put on his goofy smile. "And with that, I'm off. I'll see you at school Isarota-san." He gave a small bow and walked out the door.

Minutes crept by as Kota just stood still, not thinking about anything in particular. He went back to asking himself the same questions about himself over and over again, and his confrontation with his school principle only brought up more questions. Sure, the fact that he had a school to attend gave him a starting point as to find out who he really was, but knowing that his path has been set disturbed him the most.

"Maybe something in my suitcase will get my memory going…" The blue-haired teen mumbled as he tiredly turned to the suitcase that sat by his feet. But despite trying to be optimistic, he couldn't ignore the feeling that there wasn't any point.

* * *

Kota took a step back from the empty suitcase and had a long look at the bedroom which he had claimed for himself.

The room was rather large and spacious as if it was meant to be custom made for a person who was seven-feet tall. On one side of the room there was a wardrobe where Kota had already hung his clothes in. The other side had a desk and directly opposite the door was a bed.

Kota didn't refer to it as his bed. As nice as the place looked, it seemed so foreign to him and he found it hard to get comfortable with his surroundings.

Through the one window in his room which was positioned above the desk, Kota could tell that it was now dark outside. He couldn't help but yawn, thinking about the night made him even more tired than he already felt.

He glared into a mirror attached to the inside of one of the wardrobe doors to get a good look at himself. He had a thin, but by no means bony face with sharp facial features, the pointed nose and chin stood out to Kota the most. His hair was quite flamboyant, since aside from the fact that his hair colour was the unusual shade of cyan, the way it sat atop of his head was odd. A long fringe moving from left to right hanging as low as his eyebrows was accompanied by short tuffs of hair towards the back of his head spiking outwards. Otherwise his hair was dead straight and ran down the back of his neck. His eyes had a similar cyan colour as his hair, but were much duller.

After spending a few moments looking at himself the teen turned the lights off, crept around the pile of miscellaneous junk from the suitcase that he didn't have a place for and lay on his bed in an effort to get some sleep before school tomorrow, but time went by slowly as the questions continued to flow through his mind.

_Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I doing here?_

The tiredness finally overcame him some time later, plunging Kota into a deep sleep.

* * *

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock…

The sound of an eerie ticking sound filled Kota's ears as he slept. The sounds were spaced out in one-second intervals and grew louder at each passing moment. He slowly started to open his heavy eyelids, aware that he wasn't going to get any sleep with that racket. As soon Kota noticed through his half-closed eyes that he was no longer in his room, his eyes shot open even wider.

The first thing he noticed was how blue his surroundings were. The walls, floor and tablecloth laid over a long table directly in front of him were all different shade of deep blue. An exception included a giant pendulum swinging in time with the ticking on the other side of the table. Another was the large array of clocks behind the pendulum, some of the hands were running extremely fast while others barely moved. After blinking repeating to clear his vision, Kota could see that the clocks were behind a pane of glass, leading him to the impression that he was on the inside of a giant grandfather clock.

"Welcome my dear boy, to the velvet room." Kota violently shook in surprise upon hearing the voice, almost causing him to fall out of his chair. He was so interested in his surroundings that Kota completely overlooked the two figures across the table.

The seated person… or rather, thing… had abnormally long and pointed ears, absurdly long nose and a dark and a messy brow that hung over his bloodshot eyes. His body was frail and wore a dark suit that one would be expected to wear at formal outings.

The person that stood beside him looked to be a girl who looked to be about Kota's age. Unlike the man, she appeared to be human. She had blonde hair that almost hung down to her waist and had soft yellow eyes. Her clothing was entirely of the colour blue, from the hat with a wide brim that she wore on her head, to her high heel shoes. She looked quite beautiful as she watched Kota examine his surroundings but averted her eyes timidly from Kota's as they briefly met each other's gazes.

The man with the long nose continued to talk in an almost droning matter. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." The man gestured to the girl standing beside him. "This is my assistant, Annabelle."

"…Hi" The voice was barely audible over the ticking of the clocks as she looked towards a corner of the room as she spoke. Kota remained silent for a moment and shuffled in his chair slightly in an attempt to get himself in a more comfortable position.

"What is this?" Kota asked the question without thinking. It seemed that so many questions were now bottled up in his head that Kota wasn't able to properly word anything that he was saying. Igor chuckled upon hearing the confused boy's question.

"This is a room found between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is bound closely to your fate and can only be entered by those bound by a contact." Every single word Igor spoke seemed to go through one ear and out the other. Kota almost regrated asking since it only revealed even more questions.

"Now tell me, do you believe in fortune-telling?" Kota raised an eyebrow at Igor. He wasn't one to believe supernatural events and being, but he remained silent. Igor snapped his fingers and at least 15 cards appeared in front Kota and started rotating around him, giving the teen yet another fright.

"Now, pick a card." Igor spoke as the cards continued to spin. Kota nervously raised his right hand until his palm was just inches from where the cards were circling. He waited until a card passed over his hand and quickly clenched his hand into a fist, causing the card to shatter. A sound similar to a glass being broken echoed across the mysterious room as the remaining cards disappeared.

"Excellent!" Igor spoke "Now, do it again." Igor snapped his fingers again and the cards reappeared, spinning around Kota. The teen then crushed another card before Igor spoke up. "One more time" Igor snapped his fingers and Kota crushed one of the cards that spun around him.

"That will do it." Igor clapped his hands and three cards appeared, hovering directly above the table that stood between Kota and Igor. Now that they were stationary, Kota could clearly see that they were indeed tarot cards. Igor clapped once more and the cards shone brightly for a fraction of a second before the light dimmed down once more, each of the three cards more showed three different designs.

"So for the card representing your present is the magician in the upright position." said Igor, referring to the leftmost card. "While this card symbolises immaturity and inexperience, it also symbolises hidden power. In other words, we will be expecting great things from you and you will not let us down." Igor smiled broadly upon saying the last couple of words. "Of course, a reading such as this is hardly surprising when it's referring to a wild card such as you."

"Wildcard?" Kota confused enough as it was without the big-nosed man using unusual terms such as that. To the teen's frustration, Igor ignored the comment and continued to read the boy's fortune.

"The card representing your near future is justice in the upright position." This time Igor was talking about the middle card. "This card represents fairness and truth. Put simply, you will be working to maintain balance within the world while battling a great evil." Igor lightly chuckled, but Kota tensed up after hearing the last sentence. The thought of himself running into an army of bad guys with sword in hand like some sort of a hero you would hear about in a manga didn't appeal to him at all.

"The card representing your distant future is… the wheel of fortune in the downward position…" Unlike the first two cards, Igor's voice sounded a lot less intrigued and a little more worried. With Kota in the dark, he wasn't sure whether or not he too should be worried about the fortune card as well. After a lengthy pause, Igor continued the reading.

"Your new life here will be difficult. As you move closer towards your objective that you are destined to accomplish, you will be forced to sacrifice those that are most dear to you. The question now is whether or not you will be able to continue down the path that fate has set for you regardless of the pain that it will cause."

"Wait! Hold on for a second!" Kota felt like he was being screwed with for long enough. He had had enough of the vague fortunes and the obscurity of the scene he had found himself in. "Can't you tell me what is going on here?"

At that moment, the room was filled with loud chimes echoing off every corner of the room. Igor and Annabelle exchanged looks before turning back to Kota.

"It seems as though we have kept here for long enough. We will be sure to clarify everything for you the next time you visit. Until next time…" Kota was about to protest before his entire body felt heavy and he started to slip out of conscious. Kota's vision of the velvet room and the two figures faded, only to be replaced by his bedroom ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Monday, 8th of April 2013

Kota felt the cold sweat resting on his forehead as he remained lying in bed. As real as that dream, or nightmare, had felt, Kota wasn't willing to admit that it was real. Flying tarot cards, men with unusually long noses and blue-shaded rooms inside of giant clocks are all things that would only exist in dreams.

Kota swept his eyes across the bedroom. The sunlight was now piercing through the bedroom window, indicating that Kota slept through the entire night. Emptying his thoughts, the boy placed his hands beneath his head and rested it on the pillow once more, listening to the light chirping of several birds in the distance.

*tap* ...*tap*

After a moment of taking in the sounds of the birds, footsteps on wood flooring could be heard echoing from outside the bedroom door. Kota got up to investigate source of the noise as it seemed to stop right outside the door. Kota reached for the doorknob, but the door swung open quickly and slammed on one of his toes. As Kota let out a yell of pain, a small scream sounded from the other side of the doorway.

Sitting and holding on to the throbbing toe, Kota looked up to see who caused him such pain. A beanie-wearing girl was standing there covering her mouth with one hand. She was relatively small and had a fairly unusual appearance, pale skin, short white hair sticking out from under her pink beanie and bright red eyes. Kota also noticed that she was in school uniform.

"I-I'm so sorry," the girl started "I didn't know you were there. Are you alright?" Kota was very much surprised that there was a girl standing right in front of him since he was told that no-one aside from him was staying in this dormitory.

"I'll live..." Kota got up to his feet gingerly. "Who are you?" The girl's expression quickly changed from being concerning to that of annoyance.

"Akina Yosunashi. I'm here to escort you to school." She spoke bluntly as if Kota should have been expecting her. Then again, the name did sound familiar to him and he did ignore most of what the principal had said during the car ride to the dorm. Since Kota couldn't rely on himself memorise anything that had happened before the train ride, it was entirely possible that Masata did say that she was coming.

"Oh..." Kota suddenly felt idiotic for not expecting her. "I'm sorry… I guess my head was someplace else when Kobayashi -san mentioned that." To Kota's surprise, Akina giggled at his response. How she was able to change between emotions so quickly was beyond impressive.

"The same thing may have happened to me when he mentioned your name." She sounded rather embarrassed when she brought it up. " Kobayashi -san seems to have a habit of boring people with his non-stop chatter." This time Kota let out a bit of a laugh, mostly out of relief that she was no longer annoyed at him.

"The name's Kota Isarota" Kota held out his hand, which Akina shook.

"Nice to meet you, also we're going to be late if we don't start making our way to the train station." Only then was Kota fully aware that he had to leave for school. He dashed around the room throwing together all of his supplies that was sprawled all over the floor.

"Where on Earth is my uniform?" Kota crawled around the floor looking from it when it occurred to him that he put all of his clothes in the wardrobe last night. He was about to open the wardrobe when Akina spoke up.

"Aren't you already wearing your uniform?" Kota gave her a confused look but eventually realised that she was probably right. Kota looked down to confirm that he did indeed keep his uniform on when he went to bed. Akina giggled at his inability to remain aware of the clothes on his back.

"I understand that people are usually brain-dead by the time the school year starts again, but you really are something else." While Kota still found the whole ordeal almost humiliating he couldn't help but feel good knowing that Akina was enjoying her time with him, even if it was only just a little. "So I hope you're a good runner."

"Umm… Why's that?"

"If we don't start running we're going to miss the train." Akina started to sprint down the hallway before she had finished her sentence. It seemed like they really were running late. After quickly slipping his feet into the nearest pair of shoes, Kota bolted after Akina hoping he could exit the dorms before he lost sight of her.

* * *

Kota and Akina managed to slide through the train doors as they were closing. The two of them breathed deeply amongst the crowded carriage, which included several other students from Gekkoukan. As Kota's heart rate began to decline he could feel the train taking off beneath his feet. When Akina too had recovered from the long run she turned to the cyan-haired teen.

"Man you're fast. Are you a track runner by any chance?" Kota found himself perplexed once more like he was for most of yesterday. How was meant to respond to that? _To be honest I don't have a clue. In fact I don't know a single thing about myself!_ Kota couldn't see that going down so well with her.

"Y-yeah, I do a bit of running." Lying to someone, even to someone he just met, didn't feel good but Kota felt as if he really didn't have a choice. Akina seemed pleased with the response was all that was all that really mattered to him.

"It's good to hear you actually take care of yourself. A guy at the school which I know is real slob, so he could learn a few things from you." Kota avoided keeping eye-contact with his schoolmate in an effort to halt the conversation, instead gazing out the nearest glass pane. For a while there was nothing out there with the exception of the great ocean, sparkling from the morning sun and stretching out as far as the eye can see.

But as the train continued around the bend in the tracks, an island moved slowly into view. The island, while relatively small in size, was jam packed with numerous towers, some of them looked so tall that they were balancing the sky on the tips of their long spires.

"Wow..." Kota couldn't help but voice his amazement at how huge those towers were. Akina smiled upon hearing his reaction.

"Pretty nice huh? See that building over there?" She pointed to a lonely white building by the edge of the island, quite some way away from the colossal towers. "That's our school, Gekkoukan. Let's hope that this year will be a good one." Akina had the most adorable smile on her face as she spoke. The infectiveness of her smile got the better of Kota, who felt his own smile spread across his face.

A few minutes later the train stopped at Tatsumi Port Island Station. Unlike the dated Iwatodai Station, the station seemed like it was recently constructed and was completely free of any wear or graffiti.

Kota was happy to know that he and Akina had plenty of time to make their way to the school and didn't have to do any more running. They exited the train along with the large group of students and businesspeople.

"Why don't you follow me? There should be enough time for me show you some neat places on the island." Kota could not have been happier to hear the request, he was so curious about Port Island that he felt like he had some sort of deep connection with it.

"Sure! That would be great." Akina smiled at the cheerful response as she led him astray from the large cluster of people.

Tatsumi Port Island was a place that Kota though couldn't be possibly exist, a metropolis with grand skyscrapers which had only a small fraction of the noise and traffic that other great cities would attract. Kota could even smell the fresh sea breeze as he walked down one of the streets.

Minutes later the pair had left the tall buildings behind, only to be replaced with modest-sized apartment buildings with slick, modern designs. "So... you didn't happen to come from a country town by any chance did you?" Akina spoke, attempting to start up a conversation. Kota panicked to the point where his feet briefly stopped functioning mid-walk, almost causing him to fall face first on the pavement.

"Hey are you ok?" Unfortunately for Kota his trip up was subtle at the slightest.

"Y-yeah I'm fine and... yeah the place I came from was pretty... uh, isolated." Even though his response wasn't a confident one, Akina didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Really? Oh man I'm so jealous of you. It must be nice to live in a quiet town surrounded by hundreds of trees over rolling hills..."

"So have you always lived here Yosunashi-san?" Kota worked quickly to direct the topic of the conversation away from himself and on to Akina instead."

"Yeah, I've always lived here with my parents. Our family has actually lived in Iwatodai since it was first established, well before Port Island became the 'Business Capital of Japan' and people flocked from all over the country to become a part of it." Akina walked under a small shelter positioned in front of a set of tracks, only they were too close to the road to be train tracks, they also didn't look much like them.

"So what's this?" Kota referred to the shelter where a small crowd of people were already gathered. Akina looked rather amused upon hearing the question.

"This is a tram stop. The trams circle around most of the island so I could give you a tour along one of them."

Right on time the chime of a bell sounded down the street, heralding the approach of an electric tram. Having picked up everyone at the stop as well as dropping off a few others, the tram took off once again.

As the tram travelled along the tracks, Akina pointed out some of the more popular spots for students to hang out at including a large mall, a green, lush park and a shopping strip running along the beach, all of which were either new or had recent redevelopments. Finally the pair disembarked some time later in another residential area with wide streets. Kota noticed that several other students from Gekkoukan were turning down a large path further up the road.

"And... there you have it. That's pretty much all this place has to offer, so I hope it's to your liking"

"Are you kidding? This place is amazing, of course I like it." Akina laughed, finding Kota's excitement rather refreshing.

"I'm glad to hear that. It's great to see you so optimistic about moving to a new town. You must be a very positive person." Kota felt a little embarrassed as his face started to turn red, he certainly wasn't expecting the prise from a person he was only recently acquainted with. A bell sounded from the distance, breaking the awkward silence between the two teen.

"Crap that's the bell. Come on, we need to get moving." Akina grabbed Kota's wrist and pulled him towards the school forcing him to run alongside her.

"Really, we're doing this again?" Akina didn't respond, clearly focused on reaching Gekkoukan before the second bell sounded.

* * *

Thankfully the school was barely one hundred metres ahead of them, meaning that the pair was able to find their names on the class board and head to their classrooms before the second bell rang. Both Kota and Akina were put in the same class, class 2-C. By the time the two arrived, most of the class was already there. They were all busying themselves talking to one another in small groups or seated at their desks organising their belongings, all except one.

A blonde-haired boy was seated towards the back of the room with his legs resting upon his desk. His brown eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling as he was leaning back on the two hind legs of his chair, occupied by the music playing through his earphones. His uniform was accessorised with a large silver watch and four pins clamped on the right breast of his jacket.

Akina looked at the boy across the room and sighed out of frustration. She walked up to him and kicked the table from underneath his feet. With a surprised look on his face, the blonde lowered his vision to realise that he was slowly falling backwards. The facial expression that followed had 'Oh crap...' written all over it as he hit the ground with a thud. Several of students nearby jumped as the noise rang through the classroom, but eventually they got back to what they were previously doing.

"That's for not replying to any of my texts! Some of us like having a social life you know." The boy hadn't moved at all after he fell. He remained lying on his chair and staring at the ceiling, stunned.

"Oh hello Akina, it's nice to see you again... and yes, I did enjoy my holidays... thanks for asking..." The boy sounded as if he was in pain but somehow he remained lying still as if he was a statue.

"Maybe if you weren't such a slacker you would actually get nicer greetings from me." The boy finally lifted his head off the floor and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Look who's talking. I wasn't the one who decided to come to class after the first bell."

"That's because I was asked to show one of the new kids around." Akina then grabbed Kota by the arm and pulled him towards her. "This is Kota Isarota. Isarota, this clown's name is Jaden Gatogi." Kota didn't know how he felt about being introduced in such an unusual way, but Jaden on the other hand just smiled as he got to his feet.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope Akina was a little nicer to you when you two met." Jaden light-heartedly spoke as he held out his hand before Kota shook it.

"Same here, although she did do a number on me when we met this morning."

"H-hey it was an accident! Don't tell people that or they'll get the wrong idea." Jaden started to laugh and Kota couldn't help but join in as Akina spoke in an apologetic manner.

The chimes from the classroom's intercom rang loudly above the chatter as the teacher arrived. Students moved in all directions to claim ownership of a desk, except for Jaden who had to rearrange his furniture after it was knocked over. Kota had taken one of the two desks in the centre of the classroom with Akina taking the other one.

The teacher had short light brown hair, dark gray eyes and looked to be in her late twenties. She walked up behind the podium at the front of the classroom with her white shirt and brown jacket and placed a thick folder in front of her. The students quietened down as they saw that the teacher was about to talk.

"Welcome students of class 2-C, to another year at Gekkoukan High. I am Ms Toriumi, I teach composition and will be your homeroom teacher for the next 12 months. I would like to acknowledge that we have a few students who are attending Gekkoukan for the first time this year, so when I say your name I would like for you to stand up and introduce yourself to the class."

The final bell of the day sounded as the Gekkoukan students spilled out of the school hall where the new principal, Masata Kobayashi, gave his opening speech for the year. Just as Kota expected, Kobayashi delivered the speech abysmally. He had given his script to one of the staff members and called out "line" every time he forgot what to say next, which was quite often. On top of that, his jokes were poorly received and he would awkwardly smile and scratch the back of his head when he couldn't get a reaction from the crowd. But to his credit, the welcoming ceremony wasn't as boring as Kota imagined it would have otherwise been.

"Hey Isarota!" Kota turned towards the feminine voice to see Akina and Jaden emerge from the hall doors. "Would you like to come join us? We're heading to Paulownia Mall to get something to eat." For a moment Kota thought about declining so he could talk to the principal about his enrolment, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know the two. He was about to accept when he remembered that he left his wallet at home during the rush to the station that morning.

"That sounds great, but I haven't got any money on me. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"It's not a problem, Jaden here will cover you." Jaden, who was initially preoccupied in his mp3 player to pay attention to what was being said, looked at Akina in alarm.

"Wait, what? Don't I get a say in this?"

"Oh come Jaden, you're loaded. A couple hundred yen wouldn't hurt." The corners of Akina's mouth started to curve up upwards. "Now that I think about it, Jaden, would you please pay for my food too?" She spoke as sweetly as she possibly could while having one of her toes pivot on the spot.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on." Jaden waved his hands in front of him in an animated fashion. "You can pay for your own food can't you?"

"Well considering that you owe me for prioritising your video games in front of me, I would think that buying me lunch would be a great way to make up for it."

"You're still upset about that?" Kota noticed something about Akina change. While maintaining her innocent outward appearance, her eyes suddenly became cold and were directly gazing at Jaden, daring him to continue to argue. In what was probably a wise move by Jaden, he gave up. "Alright, I'll pay for your food too. Just expect the food to be cheap ok?"

"I'm fine with that as long as you don't make me eat at Wild-Duck Burger."

"Why not?" Jaden seemed incredibly disappointed but didn't wait for a response. "Fine…" he sighed. It turned out Akina wasn't someone that should be messed with, Kota made sure that he made a mental note of that.

* * *

"So what did Yonashi mean by you being loaded?" Kota asked Jaden as they left they headed towards the tram stop with Akina.

"Well my father's head of the Japanese National Bank branch in Port Island. The branch opened here about a year ago, so I'm still kind of new to this place."

"Yeah, to think you're the son of someone like that and I still hang out with you." Akina spoke.

"Huh?" Kota gave her a confused look, not understanding why she felt like that.

"Oh right, you wouldn't know." Akina rubbed the back of her head as if she felt she was foolish in bringing it up. "My parents help organise the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group, it's an organisation that looks at protecting the wildlife near the Iwatodai region amongst other things. They've been at odds with the JNB because they've been investing in developments that require the destruction of the surrounding animal habitats."

"Well I don't see what the big fuss is about. I mean the trees aren't doing much for us by just standing there are they?" By saying that, Jaden clearly hit a sore spot on Akina who had started to tense up before yelling at the blonde.

"I'll have you know that while money-hungry folks like yours don't see much use in trees, the wildlife there rely on them for both food and shelter. Yet they choose to eradicate their habitat for the sake of building another baseball stadium or a shopping mall that we don't even need!" Akina blew up and lucky for Jaden, he had Kota walking along in between them so things wouldn't get too hostile. Looking to desperately defuse the situation, Kota interjected.

"So that makes you guys star-crossed lovers or something like that huh?" Akina, yet again, pulled an emotional one-eighty and chuckled once the sentence sunk in.

"No no no, you've got the wrong idea! We're not like that, not even close."

"Ouch... you don't have to look so happy about it you know?" With that the three of them arrived at the tram stop just as the tram came into view.

* * *

As the sun was moments away from setting, Kota arrived at his dormitory after having a bite and strolling around the mall with Jaden and Akina. While the pair wasn't what he was expecting when he thought about the sort of friends he would make, they were certainly fun to hang out with even if Kota had to put up with their bickering from time to time.

He turned his attention to the dormitory. It was as quiet and empty as it was when he first arrived yesterday. Kota couldn't help but feel a little sad now that he didn't have any company. Knowing that it can't be helped, he headed straight to his room.

Kota turned on the lights and was about to stride in when he noticed something laying on the floor inches from his foot. He picked up the device and closely observed it. It was a light blue laptop with a red X running across the closed lid. Not only did Kota not remember seeing such a device while he was unpacking his things the other day, but it was also a model that he wasn't familiar with.

Figuring that he was too tired to remember seeing it, Kota placed it on top of his neatly organised desk. He changed into his sleepwear and got into bed as darkness swept over Iwatodai. Holding onto the thoughts of seeing Jaden and Akina at school the next day put a smile on Kota's face as he drifted into what started out as a pleasant sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tuesday, 9th April 2013

As Kota plunged deeper and deeper into slumber, he felt a strange feeling of dread grow as the time passed. He could feel himself break into a cold sweat as he tossed and turned in his bed while his heart felt as if it was about to burst from his chest at any given moment. Not being able to relax, Kota opened his eyes. While Kota expected to be lying in bed at the dormitory, he had instead found himself in what at first looked to be a dark void before the scenery started to materialise in front of him.

Thick, black smoke covered the air, arising from several fires, burning down what was left of many surrounding buildings. The stench was overwhelmingly vile, forcing Kota to cover his nose and mouth with his hand. His eyes adjusted further to make out numerous objects lying amongst the rubble that litter the ground... corpses. Kota couldn't make out any of the faces because of the amount of smog that hung in the air, but majority of the bodies seemed to be in school uniforms, some Gekkoukan uniforms and others that were totally unfamiliar to him.

"Do you see now?" A voice echoed around Kota, not being able to work out where the noise is coming from. However it wasn't the lack of knowing where the being is or what is was that worried him most, it was the fact that the voice sounded exactly like his own. "Do you see how futile it is for you to struggle? Why fight for the existence of your fellow man when they are the ones who wish for their destruction? Why fight against fate when it always gets what it wants?" Kota darted his eyes all around him, unable to shake the constant feeling that the being was just outside of his field of vision. "Even if you know you cannot win... why do you continue to fight?"

*Knock Knock*

In an instance, the sound of knuckles on wood pulled Kota out of his nightmare and back in the dorms with a gasp. He shakily pushed himself in a sitting position as the door slowly opened allowing Akina to poke her head through the doorway.

"Oh hey, you're up. I was a little worried tha- are... you ok?" Akina seemed concerned when she found that Kota was pale and almost drenched with sweat.

"I-it's nothing... just a bad dream." Kota wanted to think that it was nothing more than a bad dream, but it seemed so real, almost as if he was just as awake as he ever was. Given that Kota already had a lengthy list of problems it was likely that what happened was no ordinary dream.

"Well if you're sure... I'll be downstairs waiting for you to get ready, but be sure not to take too long. I don't want to run after the train like we did yesterday." As Akina walked off, Kota got out of bed and scrambled to get his clothing and equipment together. Before he left to meet Akina downstairs, he looked back at the piece of tech, resting on the desk by its lonesome. Feeling that a laptop may come in handy at school, he quickly grabbed it, shoved it in his bag and raced downstairs hoping Akina hadn't already left.

* * *

Saturday, 13th April 2013

Most of the week pasted without anything out of the ordinary happening. Akina had always dropped by Kota's dorm on the way to school, even if it always resulted in the two of them having to race the train to the station every morning. While Kota spent quite some time talking to Akina and Jaden during the breaks, he never saw them after school since Monday as Akina was often busying herself with the school's environmental club. Jaden was also rarely eager to meet up with anyone after school which was why Kota was quite surprised when he met with Jaden on the Saturday morning.

"Do you want to hang out after school today?"

"Huh?" Kota was caught off-guard from Jaden's sudden invitation.

"Well today's meant to be a half-day, so I was wondering if you had time to came over to my place." Since the trip to Paulownia Mall, Jaden never seemed interested to do anything after school. He would usually leave the school in a hurry as if he had something important to attend to.

"Yeah I'm up for that." In truth Kota felt almost desperate finding excuses to not return his dorm. The large, quiet rooms always gave him chills for some reason.

"Nice." Jaden beamed a smile at his classmate. "I'll see you at the end of classes then." Jaden put on his earphones and hummed happily to the music as he returned to his seat.

"Well I see that you have yourself a playdate." Kota turned to the seat next to him to see that Akina was next to him. He completely forgot that she was there even though they walked into class together moments ago.

"You could say that. To be honest I'm looking forward to spending some time out of the dorms for once." Akina looked away from Kota and stared at the blackboard in front of her, looking rather conflicted about something. "Hey what's the matter? You look as though you have something on your mind." Akina turned to look over her shoulder for a moment before leaning towards Kota and gesturing him to do the same.

"I'm just worried that Jaden's going to make a fool of himself in front of you." Akina spoke in a hushed voice. Kota brief glanced at the desk behind him to see that Jaden was too absorbed in his music, playing through his earphones, to hear what was being said.

"Why would you need to worry about that?" Kota was sure to lower his voice too, just in case Jaden was more aware of his surroundings than they thought.

"You don't know him quite like I do. He may not seem like it to you, but he is actually a total snob." Kota just raised an eyebrow in response. Sure Kota hadn't known Jaden for long, but he just seemed like a laidback guy who doesn't care for all that much, not someone who would go on about how much money he has. "I mean don't get me wrong he's a nice guy, but when he's at his apartment, he can't stop talking about how expensive the place is while showing off his state of the art electronics."

"Is it really that bad?" Akina gave a slight nod.

"He can be really immature when it comes to talking to people, so just be tolerant with him okay? I'm sure he doesn't mean to be nasty or anything."

"You really worry about him huh?" Kota spoke up with a smile. Truth be told, Kota was curious about how good of friends Akina and Jaden actually were seeing that the two were so different. After hearing Akina try to help Jaden make friends, Kota couldn't help but feel happy about the fact that Akina looked out for her friend.

"I'm just doing what friends do," Akina shrugged "someone has to look out for him."

Ms Toriumi picked that moment to enter the classroom, just moments before the second bell. As she spoke to her homeroom students, Kota felt that Ms Toriumi never made eye contact with him, as if she was purposely ignoring him. Thinking that he was just seeing things and was getting paranoid over nothing, Kota began to pay attention to what was being said.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Kota had barely started packing school bag when Jaden suddenly appeared beside him with his orange backpack causally hanging over one of his shoulders.

"Not yet. Just give me a moment." Kota packed his bag with a little more urgency as Akina looked on from over his shoulder.

"Be sure not to bore the new kid too much." Jaden briefly let out a light chuckle as if Akina had told a slightly amusing joke.

"He'll be fine. What guy doesn't like speaker systems, sport cars and computers?" Akina lowered her eyes. Kota knew that she was still concerned about how things would turn out, but he couldn't share that feeling. Surely she made it sound worse than it would be.

"Alright, let's get going." Kota spoke as he arose from his chair, bag in hand. Jaden nodded as he led the way out of the classroom, leaving Akina behind. After a few steps towards the building's front exit, Jaden spoke up in a strange, monotone matter.

"Akina seems to worry about you huh?" As much as he wanted to, Kota could never think much into making friendships. He had a feeling that was a lot to do with the fact that he didn't have any similar relationships to look back on and it affected how he interacted with everyone.

"I guess it's because I'm new to this place. For all I know, she's just doing it to be welcoming" Kota replied truthfully.

"Yeah... She could be…" They didn't talk to one another in an uneasy silence until they exited the school building. At that point Jaden looked to be back to his normal self after pushing that thought to the side. "So whereabouts are you staying? You moved into a dorm right?" Welcoming the change of atmosphere, Kota let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"It's in Iwatodai, a fifteen minute run from the station."

"Run? Don't you mean walk?"

"No, Akina and I always manage to put ourselves in positions where we have to run to catch the train in the mornings."

"Ah, gotcha" Jaden paused, smiling before speaking again. "The buildings over there are pretty old huh? A lot of the buildings over there didn't get renovated along with the island. My penthouse is here on the island so you don't have to worry about walking for too long before we get there. There's a lot of luxurious apartment buildings since they were all recently built, but it just so happened that dad's work bought one of the more expensive penthouses for him, not that we really needed them to buy it for us with the amount of money he's making..."

Jaden continued to talk and Kota felt himself rapidly lose interest in what was being said. He subconsciously lowered the volume of Jaden's words as Kota decided to move his eyes around between the faces of different students filing out the school grounds.

"So... the school decided to give students half days on Saturdays... what do you think made them do that?" Kota turned his head slightly away from Jaden and towards a soft-spoken voice that wasn't directed at him. Another pair of students was walking slightly behind him. The voice belonged to a rather slender girl with dark grey hair running just past her shoulders with a single green hairclip placed on the right side of her head. She carried a plain brown backpack and Kota was able to see from his perspective her green eyes glancing at her companion from behind her glasses.

The person she was talking to was a guy about Kota's own height, casually carrying his school bag by wedging it between his left forearm and body while his hand was buried in his pocket. His wavy black hair unevenly covered his forehead above his blue eyes. Kota immediately noticed that the boy wore a padded glove, like the ones worn by goalkeepers in a football game, on his right hand. His uniform also lacked a tie, instead leaving a couple of his top buttons undone and revealing the black top he wore underneath.

"Well it was bound to happen with all the talks of stress and anxiety causing that sickness a few years back." The boy spoke in an almost dry tone. "I'm just surprised that it took this long." Upon mentioning the word sickness, the girl darted her eyes towards the ground, looking as if she had accidently brought up some taboo topic.

"Oh no..." The girl quickly gave eye contact to her companion again. "I-I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to bring that up!" The boy shied away from her gaze and sighed.

"It's fine... really." The girl still looked troubled, but she let the feeling slide before speaking up.

"So are you planning on doing something now? Maybe we could go see a movie to pass the time."

"I can't... I've got to look after the house."

"Oh... maybe another time then?"

"... Maybe" At that moment the two groups of students walked through the large gates a parted from one another as Jaden's voice seemed to have returned, despite the fact that he had never stopped talking.

* * *

The walk from the school gates to Jaden's apartment building took five minutes at most. The building itself was isolated from other tall buildings on the island, dwarfing the restaurants and other storefronts that lined the same street.

Jaden led Kota though the elegant where the receptionist eyed Kota suspiciously, but got back to reading his magazine when he saw Jaden with him. The two students then entered the nearest elevator with Jaden pressing the number 25, taking them to the top of the building.

A short trip down a small hallway later and Kota found himself in a very grand, very large white room with reflective marble flooring and windows lining a great proportion of the room showing a spectacular view of the beach and nearby shopping strip. From where Kota stood, he could see a small kitchen in the corner of the room complete with a bar and stools and large screen TV placed in front of two whitleather couches and a white fur carpet.

"So what do you think? About the place, I mean." It was the first time Jaden allowed Kota to speak since they had left the Gekkoukan school grounds.

"Well it definitely beats the dormitory, that's for sure." Jaden was happy with the response, showing a pleasant grin.

"Really? Neat! Let me show you some of the stuff I have." Jaden said with excitement as he led Kota through one of the adjacent doors. Unlike the entrance hall, this room was nowhere near as open or well kept. Judging by the fact that a bed was wedged in the far corner of the room, Kota believed that it was Jaden's bedroom. Every corner was filled with computers, gaming consoles, magna and even empty snack wrappers.

"I hope you don't mind the mess, this is kind of like my personal retreat away from my parents whenever they're home. Here, let me show you my PC gaming rig." Again Jaden began to rant, but this time it was about the different machines that he owned, when and how he came across it and how much it cost him. Needless to say that Jaden was a real enthusiast when it came to hardware, but Kota could feel that Jaden had some sort of ulterior motive to showing off all of his prized possessions other than to just make friends. That aside, Kota wondering mind came across the device he put in his bag earlier that week.

"Can I interrupt you for a moment?" Jaden looked surprised and maybe a little annoyed that he was spoken over the top of.

"… Sure. What is it?" Kota put his bag on a nearby table besides a bunch of loose cables and fished out the odd device.

"Do you have any idea what this is? I don't remember how I came across it." I handed the object to Jaden who carefully took hold of it. He cleared the table with one swift sweep with his arm and placed the red and blue object in front of him as he took a seat on the desk chair. Jaden lifted the lid and he and Kota made startled sighs as their eyes laid on what they saw.

The inky black screen was what you would expect of a regular laptop, but it was the keys, or rather, lack of, that threw them off. There was only a single round button in the centre of the flat surface, glaring back at the two teens. An uneasy feeling fell over Kota as Jaden shook his head.

"This has to be a joke right? This isn't a laptop is it?" Jaden looked at his fellow classmate, only to get the same look of bemusement that he himself had. Kota could see confusion turn to panic in Jaden's eyes. "Wait, I should know what this is. I need to know!" He moved to press the button on the device.

"Wait, Gatogi!" Kota lent in to stop him, but he was too slow. The moment the finger came in contact with the button, a white piercing light shot out of the screen and onto the faces of the two Gekkoukan students. Their eyes shot open as wide as it was physically possible as their consciousness quickly left them.

* * *

Kota felt himself lying on a hard metallic surface as he opened his eyes. The place he was in was very much unfamiliar. It was dark, cold and deathly silent. Kota rolled over onto his front, preparing to push himself up before he saw Jaden lying next to him. Crawling over to the boy, Kota gently shook the boys shoulder.

"Gatogi... Gatogi get up" Jaden moaned and stirred slightly before he woke up. He slowly got to his feet and looked at his surroundings along with Kota. They were in hallway with the floor, walls and ceiling entirely made up of worn metal plates. There were occasional gaps in the walls and ceilings which gave way to electrical wires dangling precariously from their elevated position.

"Where the hell are we? Is this some kind of futuristic video game?" Jaden checked every inch of the hallway in his immediate proximity as if he was such there would be something of use.

"I doubt it. We need to get out of here. I don't want to stay here for too long"

"What are you afraid or something? We're the only ones here... huh?" Jaden's eyes were fixed on the dark abyss that was the where the long hallway led. He took a step forward.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I... think there is something over here. I'm going to take a look."

"What? That's crazy! We need to get out of here."

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to!" Jaden continued to move towards the darkness. It barely took a moment for Kota to decide to follow, they would be better off in each other's company. Besides, Kota didn't have a clue on how he was going to leave this strange place.

* * *

The two of them walked through the gloomy maze without uttering a word to one another. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls of the dark hallway. Despite appearing to be the only ones there, Kota felt that he was being watched by something every step of the way. The feeling of uneasiness continued to dwell within him.

"Hey Gatogi, you don't think we should head back now?"

"I can see a set of blast doors up ahead, let's just see what's behind them first then we can go home." Jaden continued to lead Kota towards a set of sliding doors, move steady towards some unknown goal as if he was being led there. It was obvious to Kota that Jaden hadn't been acting like himself since arriving to this unwelcoming place.

Upon approaching the set of sliding doors, the pair found that one of them was busted, slightly ajar without any sign of light on the other side. Jaden wordlessly slid through the tight gap through the doors.

"Gatogi this really does seem like a bad idea."

"You don't have to come with me, I just feel like there is something waiting for me over here." Jaden spoke with a hint of irritation in his voice. Not wanting to leave him alone in such a place or argue with him, Kota slid through the doors. The moment that Kota made it to the other side, the doors slammed shut, leaving to teens in total darkness and causing alarm bells to sound in their minds. The sound of electricity flowing through the room echoed amongst the non-visible walls before several lights powered on, eradicating the darkness.

Compared to the rest of the metal maze, the room didn't look run down at all. Several rows of computer monitors filled most of the room, flashing between meaningless chunks of text. A single aisle lay ahead of the two teens running from the doorway to a circular area where a lone chair stood, facing away from Kota and Jaden. The walls were also covered with monitors of various sizes with the exception of a large window directly opposite the door, showing an empty black void on the other side. The room appeared to be like the bridge of a spaceship straight out of a science-fiction film.

Strangely enough, the floor space surrounding the lone chair was entirely covered with a range of kid toys. Train models, toy cars, plastic guns and action figures were among the sea of metal and plastic. The vibes that the room gave Kota was chilling, more so than those that the corridors did previously.

The brief silence that followed was overpowered by humming, a person humming from the fixed chair atop of the pile of toys. The teens watched on with worry and fear as the chair slowly turned in their direction. Sitting there was a boy, playing with two action figures in each of his hands. He looked to be in his high school year despite his actions saying otherwise. He wore white garments with golden buttons and shoulder pads, elaborately decorated with a sizeable cluster of medals on either breast of the jacket. He looked to be dressed a commander, with a matching black-brimmed white hat covering most of his face from view.

Kota was able to get a better look at the two figurines the boy was holding. He let out a nervous exhaling noise the moment he recognised their faces. The figure in the right hand was Jaden, the one in the left, himself.

At first, the mysterious boy took turns waving each toy with the other staying idle. He would hum in a tune as if he was playing out a conversation in his head. But later he became quiet, the toys in his hands barely moving. Suddenly he violently threw the Kota toy on his lap before gripping the Jaden toy tightly and bashing his feet against the Kota toy's head. The boy grunted in frustration and anger with every hit. As the boy continued, red liquid started to drizzle from the head of the Kota doll as if it was bleeding. Kota was so shocked while being captivated in what he was seeing that he didn't notice how distraught and agitated Jaden had become while witnessing the beating.

"Hey knock it off!" Jaden spoke in a shaky manner while storming towards the kid, stopping just before the pile of toys. The boy in white stopped as Jaden approached him before dropping the figurines and having them join the other toys. "Who… who are you?" The mysterious boy's smile was just visible from under his hat.

"Well that's a silly question." Jaden became even more wound up. The voice that responded to his question was much like his own. "Take a look. You tell me." The boy stoop above the pile around him and raised his head to give Jaden eye contact. Jaden physically recoiled in shook and took a step back while Kota remained rooted to the spot, more confused than ever. The boy's short blonde hair, his slightly rounded face, his small nose, everything except for those piercing yellow eyes… were much like Jaden's own face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Saturday, 13th April 2013

"What the hell are you?!" the yellow-eyed Jaden looked at his look-alike in disappointment.

"You still don't get it? Geez I know you are daft, but I thought that even you would be able to work this out." Jaden didn't respond, just looking at the boy in disbelief. "Fine, allow me to tell you a little bit about myself then" he took a step towards Jaden. "I'm a nobody… a social outcast who throws daddy's money around because I lack other means of enjoying myself." He took another step. "It's funny really… people often believe that money is everything in such a materialistic world, yet I am so damn miserable despite having all the money a sixteen year old could want."

"Cut it out!" Jaden yelled "I don't know what you're getting at."

"Do you really not know, or are you just trying to tell yourself that?" The yellow-eyed boy smirked at Jaden, showing no remorse for his counterpart. "The people here really suck, they aren't like the kids back in Tokyo who would hang around me as long as I let them use my wide-screen TV or get carpooled to school in a sports car. I fed off the envy of those kids. Nothing else really mattered to me then."

Jaden was visibly shaking, unable to speak due to the shear amount of emotion running through him. Kota wanted to help him but didn't know what could do, so he just watched.

"But the people here… the people here don't give a damn about me or my toys! These people have their own talents and goals which is much more than what I can say about myself. They don't have money like I do, but they have a future, a potential to be greater than they ever have been before." The boy walked up to within inches to Jaden and gave him a sinister smile. "Ironically, after indulging in years of the envy of others, it is us who envies the entire student body… Isn't that right… me?"

"You…" Jaden spoke dryly, his eyes never moving from the yellow set that pinned them there.

"You can stop pretending Jaden… There is nothing you know about yourself that I don't." Jaden suddenly pushed the boy away from him, but only as far as half a step further.

"You liar… You Goddamn liar! You don't know shit about me!"

"Gatogi, calm down-" Jaden turned his panic-stricken face towards Kota.

"This isn't me! I'm not like this! You have to believe me!"

"Jaden-" Kota called out again but Jaden turned back around to the other boy.

"Did you hear that?! YOU'RE NOT ME!" Jaden roared with the boy responding by lowering his head, covering his eyes from view.

"I'm not huh?" A black aura started to radiate from his body as a manic smile etched into his face. "Well I guess I won't feel bad about killing your sorry ass then."

"What…" Black, tar-looking streams burst from out of several of the monitors of the walls and engulfed the boy. The toys beneath his feet sped off in all directions and covered the majority of the surrounding walls. In moments the centre of the room was almost entirely taken up by a ball of black ooze.

Within seconds the ball burst with force that knocked Jaden backwards and on the steps behind him. Kota laid eyes on what emerged from the black orb. A 12-foot tall crimson red mecha with a pair of strong metallic legs, and a mounted gun in place of its right hand, stood motionlessly in the centre of the room. The main body was a thick block of metal, undoubtedly storing wiring, weaponry and possibly a pilot. The face of the mecha was made up of two orange neon headlights and several vents which blew out copious amounts of hot air. In the very centre was a small silver icon making out the shape of a small flame.

The mysterious boy's voice echoed from within the intimidating machine.

"I am a shadow, the true self. I must destroy those around me so I can put them in their place! Well my "friend", do you want to be the first to realise my power?" The mecha turned slightly to face Kota as he felt himself freeze up.

"Isarota…" Jaden called out to him weakly, barely moving from where he had collapsed. He didn't have to say anything more. Kota knew he had to run. As the mecha turned on its rear-mounted jets, the machine moved towards Kota surprisingly quickly for its size. Only sheer instinct and adrenaline made the teen dive out of danger as the large projectile ploughed through several computers in its way before crashing into the toy-covered wall.

"You can't run forever peasant! You are in my world, there's no escaping." The machine's lost its left hand due to the walls impact, but a ball attached to a chain lowered from the hole in its place before suddenly expanding in size. When the mecha's headlights fixed on Kota's position, the ball lit up in a burning red inferno. The great amount of heat that the thing was giving off around started to make Kota sweat.

"Time to die, you miserable excuse for a human being." The mecha slowly approached the downed teen, seeing the hopelessness in his eyes. The flaming ball was raised, preparing to be brought back down to inflict the fatal blow.

Just as ball started to swing downwards… everything vanished. In a blink of an eye, Kota found himself in a white void with no other visible being or object.

"Fighter of humanity…" A deep, authoritative voice boomed from the heavens. "You are destined to lead the fight to prevent the fall. Look within yourself, and find the power to combat the beings that wish to destroy your kind. But beware… many hardships await you and your loved ones. You must persist and reach your goal, for the whole world depends on it."

A blue butterfly, the one Kota saw when he arrived at Iwatodai, appeared out of thin air and fluttered up to the teen. Kota watched as the insect transformed to a card before his eyes.

"It is time…" The voice boomed as the sound of a great bell tolling filled his ears. The card immediately reminded him of the dream he had where he was in a giant clock with a long-nosed man. He knew what he had to do.

The boy's heart rate rose dramatically as he reached out to the card with a shaky hand. He took a couple of deep breaths in order to ease the shaking. Eyes fixed on the card, Kota slowly whispered out the word to summon the fearsome power he had within him.

"Per...so...na..."

* * *

Kota clutched his hand as a powerful burst of wind radiated from him, sending the deranged machine flying into the far wall. Kota pushed himself to his feet as the gusts of wind continued to surround him, keeping his glowing blue eyes on the enemy. The shards of the crushed cards gathered behind Kota and expanded to take shape of a being.

"I am thou, Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Arthur… The one, true King of the Britons." The blue-cloaked figure let out an ear-piercing war cry as it brought out a great sword from under his cloak. Arthur's torso was covered with dark blue armour similar to what kendo practitioners would wear in a fight. His armour and flowing hooded cape were accompanied with brown pants and boots with a dark shade of brown. The cloak's hood was down, showing how Arthur's brown hair and face resembled that of an ordinary person, except for the right eye as it was replaced with a deep blue orb with scaring being present on the skin surrounding it. The mecha picked itself off the ground and looked at Kota as Arthur returned to the soul of its master.

"No… you can't be stronger than me! I will show you that I am the better man if it's the last thing I do!" The machine's thrusters powered up once more and launched himself at Kota. This time Kota's mind was sharp, feeling stronger than ever before. He sidestepped the flaming ball as it was hurled at him before calling for Arthur to strike.

"**Cleave!**"

Crushing the card before him, Arthur appeared behind the mecha and swung his sword heavily at the thrusters. The mecha grunted in pain as the blade struck it.

"Dammit! I'm not playing games here!" The mecha raised its right arm, pointing the mounted gun at the chest of Kota. The teen raced behind a nearby waist-high wall as bullets whizzed past, just barely missing their target. The mecha continued to fire several more rounds at Kota's immediate area, causing shards of glass and chipped metal to rain upon his arms which were protecting his face. Irritated that it couldn't get to its target, the machine stopped firing.

"You're going to run now? How pathetic!" Kota heard a large boom from the other side of the wall as an explosive rocket hit and destroyed his cover. Kota was sent flying into one of the wall-mounted monitors before gravity forced him onto the ground below. The blast burnt him and the broken shards of the monitor cut his back, but Kota survived while not taking as much damage as people normally would after such an incident. Was it the new power he had, or was it this strangle place he was now in? Kota got to his feet with some difficulty as he saw another rocket fly his way.

"**Garu!**"

Arthur materialised before Kota and threw his cloak across his body, sending out a gust of wind into the projectile. The rocket changed course due to the sudden gust and sailed past the mecha, missing it by inches.

"Again!"

Arthur sent his next blast at the mecha, but the machine held its ground when it got hit. Kota made a swift sigh in frustration, knowing that the attack had little effect on his enemy.

"My turn..." The rocket launcher arm modified itself before Kota's eyes and now had a powerful rifle fixed in the launcher's place. A laser beneath the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Arthur before the rifle fired. The bullet pierced Arthur's chest, causing the being to shatter like glass on impact without a leaving trace. Kota grunted and brought his hand to his head as he felt a sharp pain within his skull. Noticing the laser moving its way towards him, Kota ran to a thick sheet of metal which had broken off from the room during the battle and held it between him and the mech. Another bullet was fired and hit the sheet, causing a massive indent which stopped just short of Kota's heart.

As Kota heard the rifle load another bullet into its chamber, he used the opening to throw the sheet to the side and held his hand out.

"Come on..." As the tarot card appeared ahead of him, Kota silently prayed that his final unused attack would be enough to defeat the colossal enemy before him.

"**Zio!**"

The card shattered with the grasp of Kota's hand. Arthur heeded the call and appeared while holding his sword in front of him with both hands. In seconds, the sword started to charge with electrical energy before Arthur lifted it upwards, shooting a spark up to the heavens and land directly on top of the mecha.

"Argh!" The attack proved to be effective as the electrical shock threw off the mecha's aim. The rifle fired mid-shock, but the bullet flew well above Arthur's head. By the end of the attack the enemy was on its knees, jittering slightly as it struggled to get up.

"Push the advantage. Get it while it's down!" Again electricity shot out from Arthur's sword, but before the hit could connect the mecha flashed. A force field emitted around the machine and absorbed the electrical attack without a hassle. Kota looked on with apprehension as the murderous machine lifted itself off the floor.

"You really think you could defeat me? Boy that's rich!" The mecha laughed manically as the back plate baring the jets detached itself from its back and separated into halves before relocating on top of each of its shoulders. "Let's end this!" With both arms outstretched towards Kota, dozens of small rockets fired from the mecha's jets and homed in towards its intended target.

Arthur held its position in front of Kota in an attempt to protect him from the onslaught, but shattered after taking twenty or so hits. Kota yelled in agonising pain as the flames discharged from the projectiles and engulfed him. The cyan-haired teen felt his energy leave him as he did what he could to keep his feet. Just as Kota was about to pass out, he yelled over the sound of the explosions as if he was giving out an order to some unseen being.

"I… will not… die!"

A great shock-wave rang out from within the fiery surroundings where a being much like Arthur now stood. The Purple-robe figure held its arm in front of him where a large staff spun in place, only just out of reach. The shock-waves the being caused continued to repel the raining rockets from Kota, causing them to explode in mid-air. It was the mecha's turn to be fearful for what was to come.

"H-how?! You should be dead by now!" Wordlessly, Kota raised his head and looked up at the mecha through the robed transparent figure. He raised his hand up to chest level as his ally brought its second arm out, readying to launch its attack. Kota clenched his hand in the air as the staff was grabbed with both hands in a vertical position. The end of the staff slammed onto the ground, calling out a blinding white ball of energy from above the enemy. The attack shook the room as the ball shot downwards and swallowed up the machine.

"God dammit… This isn't fair!" The mecha wailed as Kota through squinted eyes saw black ooze retreat from their host and back through the monitors. When the light vanished, the toys de-attached from the walls and dropped one-by-one onto the floor. In the centre of the room was the Jaden doppelganger, laying face-down on the ground.

The mysterious mage shone briefly before changing back to Arthur and disappearing, leaving Kota and both Jadens in the ship's bridge. The dark Jaden twitched, causing Kota to briefly panic for he was physically drained and was in no state to continue fighting. Luckily the enemy just let out a moan and pushed himself off the ground and into his knees, showing that he too was completely spent.

"Well... do you have anything else to say?" Kota spoke as he looked down at the dark figure. It looked upset as it fell back into a sitting position, avoiding Kota's gaze. Kota couldn't feel bad for it, it had only just tried to kill him. "Let us out of here! We don't want to deal with you any more!" Kota yelled, continuing to feel weaker as time went on. A gentle hand was placed on Kota's shoulder, surprising him. He turned around to find Jaden standing beside him.

"No, it's ok..." Jaden looked at Kota with a sorrowful expression, then turned his head to see his other self. "He's right." Kota just watched as Jaden approached the yellow-eyed boy.

"I've... always been envious of people. The way they talk to one another, laugh with each other... I've never felt that close with anyone in ages. I couldn't help but be jealous of them. There were times where I would go on about my money or my "toys"… just so maybe they could feel jealous towards me as I do to them. It was just to make me feel better about myself... I was stupid for thinking that I was doing that purely to make friends." Jaden held a lengthy pause to find what words to say next.

"I'm sorry... to Akina and Isarota, for being such a pain... and to you, for lying to myself." Jaden offered his hand out to his double, who tiredly took it and was helped to his feet. "I'm sick of feeling sorry for myself... We both are... so let's try and change things and stop hurting ourselves." Jaden put his hand on the shoulder of his other self. The yellow-eyed boy looked almost teary eyed for a moment before he gave a smile and nod in return.

The being glistened and with a flash of light changed its appearance. A seven-foot tall man baring thick sheets of gold metal strapped to his chest, arms and legs for make-shift armour over his red silk clothing hovered in front of Jaden. Its gold mask covered its face from forehead to just above the mouth, allowing its reddish brown hair to flow around it. The being also wielded a weapon in each hand resembling a flail but with balls of fire attached to the ends of the gold chains.

"Cai Shen…" the being faded to nothing as a faint glow shone briefly in Jaden's chest. Only when Kota felt safe did the sneer amount of stress and exhaustion catch up to him. Without uttering a sound Kota fell to the ground. He was out cold before he could hear Jaden call out to him.

* * *

The calming sound of multiple ticking clocks echoed off the walls around him as Kota woke up in a familiar place. It was just like his dream, the great pendulum swinging above him, the multiple clocks floating on the other side of the glass plane before him, and the odd, long-nosed man with his beautiful assistant to greet him.

"Welcome back, my boy." Igor spoke in the same slow manner as Kota remembered. "Do not worry. You are no longer in danger now that you have overcome your first obstacle."

"You two…" More details of the dream returned to Kota as Igor grin stretched a little wider.

"I see that you recall our last meeting. Good."

"The power I wielded back at that spaceship… Did you have something to do with it?"

"The potential to use such frightening power was always within you. It is not my job to help you realise that power. Rather it is to ensure that you use it to the best of your abilities in order to follow the path that fate had set for you." Kota sat quietly and listened to every word that was spoken. If anyone was to help him process what was going on, he felt that Igor would be the one to turn to.

"The entity you summoned is what is known as a Persona. Personas are a manifestation of one's personality. Think of it as a mask for an individual to use in order to face many of life's hardships." Despite wanting to understand what Igor was saying, Kota couldn't help but find himself hopelessly lost.

"You told me that I had something called the wild card ability. What does that mean?"

"Ah yes, the wild card... The power that the wild card possesses is best described as the number zero. Empty, yet with infinite potential. Those with the wild card ability are able to summon multiple Personas in battle. That is where my assistant will come in handy." Igor turned to Annabelle. Her eyes were following the swinging pendulum above her, paying no heed to Igor's words. After noticing the room go quiet, Annabelle looked back at Igor and jumped in fright when she saw his steady gaze on her.

"Oh… right." Annabelle placed the thick book she was holding on top of the lone table. The moment Annabelle let go of the book, the cover of the book lifted itself open as its pages quickly moved from cover to cover, one page at a time.

"This is the persona compendium. It stores all the personas that you will come across in your journey as you build your bonds with others." Images of small creatures, much like Kota's persona, rose from the book as if it was flying out from the pages. "Through improving your relationships with others and strengthening your bonds... um..." Annabelle looked to her master as if silently asking to bail her out.

"... Your power will grow, leading you closer towards your final goal." Igor finished Annabelle's sentence for her.

"Of course... I'm sorry sir." Annabelle looked at her feet, unsuccessfully hiding her face blushing out of embarrassment.

"That is quite alright Annabelle." Igor comforted her while not looking the slightest bit annoyed. He turned his attention back to his guest. "There is no need to fret if this is difficult for you to take in. You should find that in time you will understand what there is to know. Now before I let you go..." Igor waved his arm horizontally across the table, conjuring an elegant looking key exerting a blue glow. The face on the bow was the same as the ones on the tarot cards. A chain was also attached to the end of the key, making it look more like a clothing accessory.

"Use this to return if you are in need of our services." Kota leant forward and grabbed the key before looking at the glowing object more closely. "I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for you. I'm sure that it will be a joy to watch."

* * *

Kota twitched as he started to return to his senses. A quick glance of the room confirmed that he was still in the place where he passed out. Realising that Jaden was nowhere in sight, Kota got off the ground to look for him. Further up the isle where Kota stood, thumping noises alongside frustrated grunts could be heard. Jaden was throwing his entire body weight behind the thick metal door the two boys had previously entered through. His continued efforts to bust the door down proved to be futile as the door hadn't budged an inch.

"Hey Gatogi" Hearing Kota's call, Jaden turned to him with an urgent expression, which quickly became one of relief as he saw that Kota had woken up. Momentarily forgetting about the door, Jaden made his way to Kota.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Kota gave a small smile seeing Jaden's concern for him.

"I'm a little tired, but otherwise I feel fine." While saying he was a little tired was understatement, Kota did his best to hide it from Jaden.

"That's good." Jaden seemed glad, but Kota could tell that he wanted to ask him something as he looked down to his feet "So… What was that thing? The thing you used to fight off the robot."

"…A Persona." While Kota was reluctant to say stuff like that out loud, he figured that Jaden should know having just seen it himself.

"Persona? How did you get it?" Kota took the time run that question by him a few more times. That blue butterfly seemed to turn itself into a tarot card before his eyes, as if gifting him his Persona. Could the voice that spoke to him in the void belong to the butterfly? Either way Kota had no clue on who granted him that power.

"I… I have no idea." Silence followed as the high school students both tried to hide their looks of confusion and worry from each other.

"Hey, you don't think you could take out that door with your… Persona… could you?"

"Huh?" It then occurred to Kota that he couldn't exactly recall how he summoned his persona. "Um… I'll try." Kota steadied his breathing as he held his hand out. Closing his eyes, he sub-consciously called for Arthur. Opening his eyes some time later revealed that nothing happened. Now with a slight feeling of dread, Kota forced his eyes shut and called for his persona again.

_Arthur. I need you now!_

A slight feeling of warmth arose in Kota's chest as he saw light shine upon his eyelids. He opened his eyes to see that the tarot card was now hovering just above the palm of his hand.

"Whoa…" Jaden voiced his astonishment as he stared at the levitating card.

Just as Kota was about to crush the card a harsh drilling noise filled the room from the other side of the door. The noise caused the boys to cover their ears as they saw the door become more deformed as the noise grew louder. When it looked as though the door was barely able to remain standing the drilling stopped. One swift kick from the other side of the door sent it flying before landing with a thud some distance away from where it once was.

The figure that stepped through the doorway wore a thick brown trench coat that covered it from its neck to its toes. A black, wide-brimmed hat sat on top of its head and was tilted in such a way that most of its face was covered by the shadow. The tall figure looked ominous as it gazed at the high school students before it.

"Who are you guys?" The dull, but noticeably feminie voice carried through the room without any sense of urgency or confusion, but alarm bells still rung in Kota's head.

Out of instinct, Kota crushed the tarot card to summon Arthur, taking his stance as if he was ready to lash out at the woman.

"Don't move, or I'll have to take action!" Kota sounded as authoritative as he could as Arthur tightened his grip on his sword. The effects from the last battle still weighed heavily on the pair. For a while the girl didn't react, just stood in place as if she was a statue. Eventually she raised her forearms up in the air as sign of peace, revealing two hands made entirely out of thin metal rods, hinges and pistons. Kota and Jaden were taken aback by the sight, this wasn't an ordinary person.

"How did you two get here?" Kota and Jaden looked at one another, each trying to make out what the other was thinking before responding.

"What's it to you?" Jaden spoke up, staying half a step behind Kota so he wouldn't get in the way of Arthur.

"Don't be difficult with me. I'm not your enemy." The girl continued to talk in an almost monotone voice as if he lacked the energy to show any emotion. Kota kept his eyes on the woman for a few more moments, debating whether or not he could be trusted. Eventually Kota rested his arm by his side, withdrawing Arthur from view. Initially, Jaden looked at his fellow classmate with uncertainty, but quickly decided to trust his judgement. The girl gave Kota a slight nod.

"Thank you. Allow me to return the flavour." Slowly, she lifted his arms up and gently grabbed her hat. Lowering the hat and placing it under her thick coat, her face was on full display. Lifeless blue eyes remained fixed on the boys as her wiry white hair hung just above her shoulders. Her light skin only ran as far as halfway down her neck, revealing a small section of steel and wires peeking over the collar of her trench coat.

"Now, you both need to get out of here. It's not safe here." Still puzzled as to what stood in front of them, the teens stared at the oddly constructed face without making a sound. The girl didn't show any annoyance or discomfort from being stared at, probably not caring about it.

"How are we going to do that? Do you know the way out of here?" Kota fired questions at the woman hoping that she was their ticket off this ship.

"Wait Isarota" Jaden, who was not quite as trusting as his cyan-haired counterpart, cut in before the girl could respond. "How do we know you're not out to kill us too?"

"Just know that if I were to try and kill you both, I wouldn't be engaging in conversation like this." She turned towards the doorway and looked at the two over her shoulder. "Shall we get moving?"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the way out?" Kota asked as the group stood in front of a thin white arch holding together a black and white pattern, swirling around a fixed point in the centre as if it was a black hole. They were back to the place they originally woke up at, but that arch wasn't there before.

"Absolutely. Once a person has been granted their persona, they are able to navigate through the Subex as well as fend off shadows."

"The... Subex?"

"That what this world is called. You'll understand more about what it is once you've seen it from the surface."

"So do you have a persona too?" The girl shook her head in response to Jaden's question.

"It's different in my case. There isn't a thing that goes on here without my knowledge. My existence is tightly bound with this place as I do not have a body to return to on the other side. You both do however, so we have to go back there as soon as we can." She walked up to the arch and gestured for the boys to go through. The daunting appearance made the doorway look unwelcoming. Ignoring Jaden's hesitance, Kota stepped forward and into surreal black-and-white void.

Before he knew it, Kota found himself on the other side of the door and into what looked like an alternate reality. He was standing in what similar to Jaden's room, but the wooden floor was bare without mess and many of his possessions were gone. Furthermore many of the surrounding walls looked to have collapsed, showing off an almost entirely vacant version of Jaden's apartment.

Walking cautiously in case the building was unstable, Kota moved as close to the ledge of the building where an entire wall had disappeared and looked out across the island as far as he could. The island where the building stood upon had a striking resemblance to Tatsumi Port Island, but fountains were busted, roads had large cracks running in all directions, and the buildings had giant chucks removed from their original counterparts. In the place of those missing chunks, huge operating pistons, giant rotating gears, or strange looking wind turbines shot out from the buildings spanning across the horizon. When Kota narrowed his eyes, he was able to make out dark, humanoid figures move across the unusual landscape. Where they meant to be people?

Kota continued to stare at his surroundings in awe as Jaden and the girl stepped through the arch after him. Jaden stood beside Kota and also look in the view with shock.

"So this place is what you call the Subex…" Jaden asked the girl, not able to bring himself to look away.

"That's right. It's the world that you know of at a subconscious level. Every person has their own subconscious thoughts, and this place is where those thoughts reside." Kota looked at the setting sun to his right, a much larger, dimmer version of the one he was used to. He then looked at the sky directly above him. Thin clouds slowly spun around a fixed point in the sky, looking like the pattern of the door that they went through not long ago. Kota never thought that such a place could possibly exist.

"Do you guys want to get out of here or not?" The girl's voice moved their focus to her, then to the two silhouettes beside her. They were both positioned behind a desk, one sitting in a chair and the other leaning over the first, both staring at a laptop-like device in front of them.

"That's… us?" It was bizarre to think that he could observe himself from an outside perspective, but there was no other explanation as to what the silhouettes were.

"Hold on… This is too much to take in in such short notice… I'm getting dizzy." Jaden held his hands on his head and stared at the ground as if his was blocking out any more information from piling up in his head.

"Just take up the position of your bodies and you'll be able to return."

"Really? Thank you miss…"

"Just call me Glitch, but hopefully we won't be seeing each other again." Kota put a hand on Jaden's shoulder and smiled at him, signalling that things would be alright. Still with a dazed look on his face, Jaden moved towards the chair while making sure not to move it from beneath the silhouette. Kota looked at Glitch one last time before he left.

"Thanks for your help." Glitch just gave a weak smile in reply. While forced, Kota felt as if she really appreciated it. Kota stood behind the seated Jaden and moved to try fit into the silhouette as best as he could. As both he and Jaden got in the right position, their surroundings changed in a blink of an eye.

They were back in Jaden's room, looking exactly as Kota first remembered it. Both boys moved away from the laptop quickly when they realised that they were back, with Jaden knocking his chair over in his haste. Slowly, the Gekkoukan students had a collective feeling of relief wash over them. They turned to one another with Jaden speaking up first.

"That wasn't a dream I just had, was it?"

"No… I saw it too." Jaden looked over Kota's shoulder during the silence that followed.

"Hey it's starting to get late. Do you want to stay here for the night?" As tired as Kota felt, he knew he needed to watch over the dorm seeing that he was the only one there.

"No thanks, I'll be alright to head back to the dorm." Kota hesitated for a moment before closing the laptop and taking it.

"Do you want me to come with you then?"

"Don't worry about it. You look tired. It's best if you get some rest." Kota gave a polite nod and turned to leave.

"Hey…" Jaden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I want to thank you Kota. You really saved my ass back there." Noticing Jaden calling him by his first name, Kota grinned.

"It's not a problem. What kind of friend would I be if I stood by and did nothing?"

"I guess you're right…" Jaden also looked rather happy with how things turned out. He really was in need of a friend more than Kota thought "I'll see you around."

"Of course" Kota walked through the front door under the watchful eye of the setting sun. When the door closed behind him, Kota looked at the strange laptop device in his hand and thought about the Subex. Had he not been told that this was the beginning of a journey, he would have felt that that would be the last he would see of the place. The cyan-hair teen sighed. Studying and fitting in at school was hard enough without having to worry about a world hidden from everyone else's view. With heavy eyelids, he walked out of the building and made his way to the train station.

* * *

**AN:**

**So that more or less makes up the prologue of the story. I'll take the time here to thank all of those who are giving this a chance and reading up to this point, especially those who have given this story a favourite or follow (You guys are awesome). **

**I've been playing with the idea of uploading an OC-centric story for a while now and I think I am at the point where I will be able to take on this large-scale project.**

**Any support though a favourite or follow is appreciated, though I do intend to finish the story regardless on the amount of attention it gets. I would also love to hear from you guys on what you think of the story so far through reviews, no matter how harsh your thoughts are on it (as long as you're being reasonable).**

**Updates may become more scarce since my studies are now back in the picture, but I certainly don't intend to give up on writing until the story has reached its end.**

**I hope to hear from you soon!**

**\- Constant-Daze**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sunday 14th April 2013

Jaden stirred slightly in his bed as the sunlight crept through the gap between the curtains and rested on his eyelids. He opened his eyes to find that Sunday had arrived, but he was too tired to get out of bed right now. He rolled over to get the sun out of his eyes, only to catch sight of the corner of the room where that portal would be in that other world. Jaden shuddered. Suddenly he didn't feel like sleeping in. Jaden kicked off the covers and headed for the kitchen, taking care not to step on any of the magna spread across the bedroom floor.

As he expected he was in the apartment alone. Both parents usually arrived home late from work and left early the following day, even on Sunday mornings. Sometimes his parents would get home before dinner, but it was common for Jaden to not see them for days at a time. It was a lonely existence which he had gotten use to long ago.

The thought of his parent left Jaden when he felt his stomach grumble, maybe he should have had dinner before he went to bed. Gathering a bowl, spoon and milk, he prepared to make himself a bowl of cereal as it was quick and simple to make. After grabbing a box of Choc-la-Os, he noticed something unusual sitting on the breakfast counter in the corner of his eye. Stopping to look at it, he suddenly froze up, leading him to drop the cereal box and spilling the contents on the floor.

"What the…" It looked to be a laptop, but was oddly familiar with its green surface and sizable yellow cross in the centre. Jaden lifted the lid to find an inky black screen and a single button inside. Quickly slamming it shut, Jaden immediately knew what it was.

"I need to talk to Kota about this." He raced back to his room and threw on whatever clothing was lying nearby. Leaving the messy kitchen as it was, Jaden quickly threw the device in his red backpack and left the apartment.

* * *

Jaden stood at the steps of a dormitory building, bag hanging from a strap over his left shoulder, as the sun peeked over the tops of the nearby structures. The boy stood there wearing a brown jacket on top of his yellow shirt with red text stating "Iwatodai Buccaneers", the name of the local baseball team, bearing their logo in the background. He also wore a faded brown pair of cargo pants with the latest white-and-red sneakers from one of the country's more luxuries clothing brands.

Lucky for Jaden, Akina was awake when he asked for Kota's address via text. Still, Jaden felt a little uneasy about the dormitory, he didn't think that the school still housed students in older buildings such as this. Shaking the feeling, Jaden stepped up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Jaden had to wait for a few minutes, and he had to press the buzzer a few more times, but the door opened just as he was about to believe that everyone was out. On the other side of the doorway was a very tired looking Kota, still wearing his creased school uniform from the other day.

"Dude, you didn't sleep in that did you?" Kota just rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I didn't mean to. I ended up collapsing on the bed the moment I set foot in my room."

"Oh... sorry, the other day must have been rough for you huh?" Jaden looked over Kota's shoulder to see if anyone was around that could possibly be eavesdropping, only to find that no-one was around at all. "What happened to your roommates? Have they all gone out?"

"I don't have any roommates. I have this whole place to myself." Jaden noticed that Kota wasn't particularly happy when he said that. Could Kota possibly be feeling lonely?

"Sorry... I wouldn't have come by so early if I knew you were here by yourself." Kota just smiled and shook his head slightly.

"It's probably good that you woke me, otherwise I would have slept through the entire day. So what brings you here anyway?" Without saying a word, Jaden pulled the red bag in front of him and showed Kota the device. For a moment Kota didn't react, as if he didn't believe what it was he was seeing and was waiting for his eyes to stop playing tricks on him. He then looked up to meet Jaden's eyes, stunned.

"Is this..." Jaden nodded. "How did you get this?"

"I don't know. I just found it when I woke up this morning." A thoughtful silence filled the air, but was then broken by the grumble of Jaden's stomach. "... Damn I'm hungry." Kota chuckled out of amusement.

"I could do with something to eat too. I haven't had breakfast yet."

"We can head to the island to have an early lunch if that's ok with you. I wanted to show you to one of Port Island's more infamous cafés anyway."

* * *

"Honestly Jaden, you don't have to treat me. I can pay for my own food with no problem." Kota, now wearing black long-sleeved top and light tan-coloured pants with black shoes, was looking over the prices listed on the menu of Chagall Cafe. Jaden explained that Chagall was one of Port Island's most well-known establishments in dining and was one of the few businesses to have not changed along with the rest of the island, keeping its traditional appearance compared to the more modern feel that most places were starting to adopt. Because of its good reputation, Kota was surprised to find that most of the food was reasonably priced.

"Look, I'm not going to take no for an answer." Jaden nonchalantly waved his hand from his seat across from Kota. "This is the least I could do after what you did for me yesterday, so don't sweat it." Kota felt a little embarrassed from hearing Jaden talk as if he was the only reason why the two of them were still alive. Jaden was able to get rid of his other self after he was defeated, and had Glitch not found them and led them back to the real world, Kota and Jaden would still be trapped there. Still, Kota smiled and didn't argue any further, he was just happy to be alive.

"Ah Gatogi-chan, it's nice to see you again." Kota turned to the cafe employee with violet eyes and hair tied in a bun, wearing a maid outfit and a bright smile.

"Senpai? I didn't know you worked on Sundays."

"Of course you wouldn't, you never visit outside of school days." Kamiya continued to smile as she looked at the unfamiliar face. "I've never seen you before. You must be new here, am I right?"

"That's right. I'm Kota Isarota, just moved here a week ago."

"Minori Kamaya. It's a please to meet you." Minori bowed politely, but suddenly looked worried after she stood back upright. She looked towards the counter and saw the manager busy helping another employee work the casher. She nervously turned back to the table and smiled sheepishly at the two underclassmen, likely worried that she would get in trouble for chatting to the customers. "So have you decided on what you'll be having?" After hearing from the two boys, Minori left to pass on the orders. Jaden watched her leave and kept a small smile on his face, probably while lost in thought.

"She seems like a nice girl." Kota spoke for the sake of saying something and brought Jaden back from his daze. Having realised that he was caught staring, Jaden sheepishly scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously before talking.

"Yeah... She's someone I knew back when we were living in Tokyo. She works here part-time quite a bit, so I see her from time to time."

"So you're just friends?" Jaden's face looked a little bitter.

"Yeah, but mind you, I gave up on her months ago. She's way out of my league." The table went quiet again as the buzz around the cafe continued to sound. "But you know… I never really valued her as much as I should have in those days. When I moved here, I was scared of moving to a new home and having to make friends all over again. But she helped me see the bright side of having a fresh start, when all I could see were the down sides." Jaden lowered his eyes and smiled as he reflected. "It's funny how I only just realised this after I almost died the other day."

"How did you manage moving to a new city?" Kota was curious about how Jaden handled the new surrounds since the situation was much like what Kota was going through, save for the whole memory loss that Kota also had to worry about.

"Well to be honest, I didn't do so well at first. You already heard about how I effectively tried to bribe friends for myself. Since everyone but me had matured at that point, I was seen as a snob by my peers. Thankfully, I managed to befriend Akina last year, and now you." Jaden looked at Kota with his eyes filled with appreciation as Kota felt a small bond of friendship begin to form between him and Jaden.

As silence between the two arose once again, Kota's sense of time slowed almost to a stop as the sound of a shattering card echo through his mind.

**Thou art I… And I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**It helps bridges the gap towards humanity's true fate…**

**Thou shalt be blessed with a Persona of the Sun Arcana…**

With a calming, but authoritative voice, the words sounded like they came from the blue butterfly which awakened Kota's abilities. After hearing those words, Kota thought back to what Igor and Annabella said in the velvet room.

_"Through improving your relationships with others and strengthening your bonds, your power will grow, leading you closer towards your final goal."_

While Kota still wasn't all that sure about how he would go about reaching 'humanity's true fate', he trusted that establishing bonds would help him in that cause.

In a blink of an eye, the café became its busy, noisy self again. Jaden, unaware of the pause in time, glanced over to another of the maids who was tending to another table.

"So what do you think of the girls here?"

"Huh?" Kota gave a startled response as a playful smirk formed across Jaden's face.

"Are any of them your type? It's about time that I pry some information out of you for once." While Kota would admit that some of the girls caught his eye, it was mostly to do with the unfamiliar maid's outfit they were all wearing. Even if they recently became friends, Kota wasn't comfortable with telling Jaden stuff like that at the time.

"W-well... I'd rather not say! Besides, why would you want to know that about me of all things?" Kota blurted his response loud enough for him to feel the gazes of people at nearby tables, adding further embarrassment to the situation. An expression of mock disappointment was then shot across the table from the fellow classmate.

"Aww... That's no fun. You're going to have to let me in on your philosophy sooner or later." Ignoring Kota's question, Jaden noticed Minori walk towards them while balancing the two ordered dishes on either one of her arms. "Although... I think I may know just how to find out for myself."

"Will that be all for today?"

"Actually senpai, could I order two Pheromone Coffees please?"

"Ah, treating the new guy to our speciality I see... two Pheromone Coffees coming right up." Looking rather pleased with himself, Jaden turned back to face Kota as Minori left once more.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know. Apparently there is something special about Pheromone Coffee which only Chagall serves. They say that drinking it makes you more attractive towards the opposite sex." Kota waited for an explanation as to how it was meant to work, but Jaden just looked to be daydreaming again, likely to be the thought of several girls clenching his arms and shirt while pleading their love for him.

"Are you sure about that? It sounds like a myth to me." Brought back suddenly from his dream with the unwanted response, Jaden seemed desperate to convince his friend that the coffee did work.

"It's true though! It has actually been proven! I-I mean I don't know anyone personally who had gone through with it… but it's just widely accepted that it works." Still sceptic of the thought, Kota raised an eyebrow at Jaden who sighed in turn. "Well that's even more reason for us to test it for ourselves. Every Sunday, we'll meet up here and have a Pheromone Coffee for the next 8 weeks."

"That seems like quite a hassle…"

"C'mon Kota, I've being itching to try this out for ages. I'll pay for your drinks if that's what you want."

"That really isn't the issue here…" Kota sighed. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Jaden. What's more, as he thought back to the empty dormitory waiting for him in Iwatodai, Jaden's offer to meet up every Sunday didn't seem all that bad. "Ok fine. We'll meet here next week."

"You won't regret this Kota!" Jaden lent forward towards his friend and tried to keep his voice down despite him almost trembling with excitement. "In many years' time, we will look back on this day and celebrate it as the day we became men… attractive, alluring, irresistible men." Kota couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes, but also started laughing along with Jaden as the two coffees made their way to their table.

* * *

Monday 15th April 2013

"So how did it go?" Akina spoke to Kota as they walked towards the train station at a leisurely pace. Thanks to Kota waking up from the best sleep that he could ever recall having, the two students were ready to make their way to school with plenty of time before the train would arrive.

"You mean the thing with Jaden? It was alright I guess."

"Just alright!? Gatogi messaged me the day after to ask for your address, so it must have been more than alright." Kota quietly thought about how to explain that. He felt that he couldn't tell her about the Subex or Personas, seeing that she wouldn't believe him and only complicate things.

"He wanted to show me a café in Paulownia, Chagall I think it was. He talked me into drinking Pheromone Coffees with him because it made you more attractive… or something like that."

"Typical Gatogi," Akina smiled a little to herself and turned back to Kota. "Well it sounds like you two are hitting it off, which is great. It's nice to see that he has made a good friend…" Akina slowly moved her gaze down to her feet. Kota thought he sensed a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Are you feeling alright?" Akina shook her head.

"I'm just a little tired. My parents have been busy lately and I've been helping them out, but I feel fine." Akina gave Kota a smile to try and reassure him, but he didn't buy it. He knew there was something else, but he felt that he didn't know her well enough to ask about it.

The two ended up walking to school with only exchanging a few words of small talk between them.

* * *

The lunch bell could not have come soon enough as the mathematics teacher, Ms Miyahara, was just starting to talk about her fascination for equations which involves dividing by zero. Jaden got out of his seat and walked over to Kota's desk.

"Yo. Could I talk to you during lunch about...Saturday?" Jaden lowered his voice when he brought up the day. "I sorta forgot to bring that up yesterday."

"Oh... What happened on Saturday?" Jaden seemed to stiffen at the sound of Akina's voice as Kota turned to see her still seated beside him, gazing at the boys with a curious look.

"Yoshina-san!" Kota unconsciously drummed his fingers on the desk a few times, trying to figure out what to say next. "Do you think that you could let Gatogi and I talk between ourselves during lunch?"

"Yeah! It's ... well, you know... guy stuff!" Jaden let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. The lie was so blatantly obvious that Akina saw right through it.

"I see…" Akina turned away from Kota and Jaden, instead looking into the corner of the room behind them. "Don't let me bother you then. I'll see you guys later." Pulling her beanie slightly further down her face, Akina lowered her head and left the room with haste.

* * *

"What do you think that was about?" Kota sat in the cafeteria across from Jaden as the blonde was in the middle of enjoying his instant ramen. Jaden slurped up the remaining strands dangling from his mouth and swallowed before replying.

"You know what she's like. The girl overreacts about every little thing, but is perfectly fine the moment you blink."

"I use to think so, but she seemed down this morning and hasn't cheered up since."

"Really?" Jaden put his chopsticks down and wore a thoughtful expression. "She usually acts like that if her parents' organisation is up to their neck in work, like with protests and fundraising and such."

"So it's nothing that we should be worried about?" Jaden gave off a winning smile.

"Nah, she'll be fine. She's just so passionate about that environmental stuff that she lets it get to her." The blonde nodded at the steaming noodle dish in front of Kota. "It's going to get cold if you don't get started on that."

"Oh...right" Kota poked his chopsticks into the soup and moved it in a circular motion before nibbling at one of the noodles. Despite Jaden's assurances, he felt bad for Akina. The buzz of the cafeteria, fuelled by the conversing of hungry students, filled the silence between the two second-years. While the room was packed, Kota and Jaden were able to claim a table by windows overlooking the baseball field behind the school. Not only was the table less susceptive to the noisy locality and safer from prying ears, but the ocean view beyond the pitch was something to be admired. Remembering why he asked to eat with Kota alone, Jaden's expression quickly became more serious.

"Dammit Kota, you took us off topic again."

"What do you mean 'again'? You were the one begging me to give up my weekends to have coffee with you."

"You make it sound like I'm punishing you when you put it that way," Jaden whined. Kota had to admit that he found some enjoyment out of pushing Jaden's buttons. "Anyway, shouldn't we get to the point?"

"Right," Kota agreed. "So much happened that day, I don't really know where to start."

"Let's start with what the hell that place was. The Subex, I think it was. Do you think it was really what Trenchy said it was?"

"A world where our subconscious thoughts reside…" The existence of such a place never crossed Kota's mind before. Had he not been there himself, it would have quickly been written off as nonsense. "I think so. She didn't have any reason to lie to us. If it wasn't for her, we may have never been able to make it back."

"Yeah I guess… but her being there wasn't the only weird thing that we saw over there. The spaceship we woke up in bothered me in particular. It almost felt as if it was there just for me to see."

"And that other you was there to greet you. What do you think the meaning of that was?"

"At first I thought it wanted to kill me and take my place, like it was a part of a horror movie or something, but I think it might of just wanted me to understand its- no, MY insecurities." Jaden took the moment to look down at the students playing baseball through the windows. "I wonder what happened to him."

"You said so yourself, he is you. To be precise, he's probably the part of you which is in the Subex."

"You mean he's like the form of my internal thoughts? I guess I could see that." Jaden turned back to his bowl, then back to Kota as a thought occurred to him, "How did you come across your laptop thing? I asked my parents about the one in my house, they figured I had just left it out after you were over and didn't think much of it."

"It was just in my luggage when I arrived in Iwatodai."

"So it just appeared in thin air for you too huh? Do you think whoever planted them intend to trick other people into using the laptops."

"I don't think so. We already know what they do, so it's not like they would expect us to do the same mistake twice." Jaden nodded in agreement. "Regardless, we need to keep the laptops away from everyone and make sure they don't have to go through what we just did."

"Right, I don't think people should be able to go to a place as dangerous as that."

"And another thing…"

"Yeah?"

"I think we should tell Yonashi about what happened."

"What?" Jaden leant over the table and lowered his voice, "do you realise that she won't believe a word that we say? Why would we do that?" Kota lowered his head, but his eyes firmly on Jaden's.

"She knows we're hiding something and she deserves to hear the truth from us, no matter how outlandish it may seem to her." Jaden sat upright again and stared blankly at the table in front of him.

"I don't think that she'll take that very well. But you're right, we can't stay silent about it." Lazily prodding what little was remaining in his bowl, he let out a sigh. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Kota barely touched his food all of lunch, and despite Jaden trying to liven up the discussion by poking fun at a number of school's staff, he knew that Jaden was also bothered by the Subex, Akina, or possibly both. The sound of the bell singling the resumption of class was welcoming, as both students were able to switch their focus to the upcoming lesson.

* * *

Tuesday 16th April 2013

Kota checked his watch for the third time as he stood at the front of his dormitory. There were only a few minutes left until the train left the Iwatodai Station, so he would have to run there again if he was going to make it in time. The real problem was that Akina was yet to arrive, strange considering that Akina had always arrived before Kota was ready for school previously.

When Kota and Jaden attended their afternoon classes, Akina never re-joined them. After some asking around, they discovered from one of the members of the environmental club that she asked the principal to be excused for the day and was allowed to leave. The member said that she wasn't certain why she left, but it likely had something to do with Iwatodai Future Preservation Group's involvement in an environmental dispute over the fate of some of the surrounding woodlands, jeopardised by plans to build more shops and apartment buildings.

Thinking that her leave was likely due to stress, Kota was hoping to walk to school with her again to see how she was feeling. Kota also wanted to explain what happened in the Subex despite not coming to a decision with Jaden on the matter. The thought about what happened on Saturday was clearly eating away at her and, while he doesn't expect her to believe him at first, he hoped to prove her of the world's existence one way or another so he could put her mind at ease.

Just as Kota was considering running to the station and meeting her there, he noticed the iconic pink beanie further down the pavement. Akina was moving at a slow walking pace with a slouching posture, her gaze not looking out much further than her feet. She was taking so long to reach Kota that he decided to run to her.

"What are you doing? You realise that the train is going to arrive at any moment right?"

"Sorry…" Akina mumbled, but she didn't move any quicker and kept her head hung.

"Is something wrong?" She stopped and continued to avert her eyes from Kota as she clutched her fist, likely contemplating whether or not to say anything.

"I hate Gatogi," Akina spoke through clenched teeth.

"What?"

"He's such a jerk, he talks about how useless the forests are and how I am just wasting my time with trying to protect them. Then he shuts himself in his room and only hangs out with me if he has nothing better to do. I bet the bastard was just using me, and now he's thrown me away." Kota was stunned by the sudden outburst, unsure of how to calm down a very tense Akina.

"He's not like that…"

"How would you know? You'd just met the guy!" Akina looked up at Kota with her red eyes, having looked like she had recently been crying. "What happened to make you and him become the best of buds all of a sudden? Huh!?" The earlier motivation to set things straight with her had completely disappeared. Kota knew that if he wasn't careful, Akina would start gunning for him.

"I can't tell you…" For several tense moments Akina's threatening eyes softened, transitioning into a much sadder ones.

"You two were bitching about me."

"What? No! Of course not."

"Then what happened!?" All the yelling that went on in the residential district was sure to attract plenty of attention from anyone who was passing by, but Kota never bothered to check for any onlookers.

"Look…" Kota lowered his voice to try and keep himself from being overheard. "This might be hard to believe, but I want you to know what happened that day…"

Kota reluctantly started to recap what happened from when Jaden opened the laptop and transported them to the Subex. He briefly went on about waking up inside the dark halls of the spaceship, but Akina interrupted him.

"Isarota stop." Akina went back to hiding her eyes by keeping her head low. "I'd maybe expect Jaden to make up stories like that, but for you to be mocking me like this…"

"Akina…"

"Don't you dare call me by my name!" The short girl pointed a stiff finger at Kota's chest, glaring at him through watery eyes. "Why don't you just… just go to hell!" Upset and in tears, she pivoted on the spot and ran back to where she appeared from. Kota stared after her until she was out of sight. Feeling hurt and confused, the cyan-haired boy looked to his watch once again to find that his train had well and truly left the station. Wondering how he would explain things to Jaden, Kota slowly made his way to school.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Tuesday 16th April 2013

Class 2-C had almost finished its second lesson by the time Kota entered the classroom. Not only did Kota have to catch the later train that arrived ten minutes after the intended train had left, but he also got lost while he was making his way through the crowded streets of Tatsumi Port Island. Kota had never noticed how much he relied on Akina to lead the way to school before he stepped off of that train.

The room went quiet as Kota made his appearance. Unluckily for him, Composition was being taught, meaning that Ms Toriumi was the teacher he had to answer to. Kota could feel the cold glare from his homeroom teacher, who had been holding a grudge against him for seemingly no reason.

"Isarota, school had started more than two hours ago. What told you so long?" Kota rubbed the back of his neck as he felt his nerves start to become unsettled from being put on the spot.

"I'm sorry sensei. I got lost on the way here. I'm still a little unfamiliar with the island."

"Even after a week? Then again, Yoshina doesn't seem to be with you..." Ms Toriumi organised the papers in front of her as she thought about what punishment she would impose on the latecomer. "Fine. I'll let you go just this once, but only if you bring me a cake before the end of the week... I'm serious you know."

Ms Toriumi signalled for Kota to take his seat as the students in the class start to mutter to one another. Mentally blocking out the chatter from his classmates, he caught Jaden's concerned gaze as he moved towards the back of the room. There was a lot of explaining that had to be done.

* * *

"I'm really sorry that it came to that." Kota apologised after he explained why Akina didn't turn up for school. "Maybe if I had held off on telling her about the Subex, I wouldn't have made her so angry at us." The classroom was filled with loud discussions as the students awaited the next teacher to arrive, so Kota took the time to inform his friend on the fight he had with Akina.

"Don't beat yourself up, it sounded like you were going to set her off either way." Jaden comforting smile faded, appearing to be almost as upset as the transfer student.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well..." Jaden drummed his fingers on his desk. "I think I know why she is in such a bad mood." Kota looked confused as the blonde tried to explain. "You know how she first mentioned that my parents' work had been investing in several community developmental programs? It turns out that there was a dispute over some land ended yesterday, with the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group looking to save the woodlands in that area."

"And the IFPG lost?"

"It wasn't protected by the government, so the courts couldn't place an injunction on the clearing of the land."

"And she blames you for that?"

"I don't think so. I think that she just feels like she has to unload her anger onto someone. I don't mind though, it's not I like I'm a perfect friend either." Jaden gave a self-mocking smile, but Kota could see through it. He was hurt by Akina's comments, saying how she hated him.

Just as Kota was silently cursing himself for giving him so much detail on the unpleasant exchange of words, he noticed a first-year female student with dark pigtails, timidly talking to one of his classmates from the doorway.

"Hey, Gatogi and new guy," the boy was the only person in the class who never seemed to wear the school blazer when he attended class, replacing it with a deep blue vest. He was easily distinguishable from his fellow peers due to his rolled-up shirt sleeves and blue bandana he had tied around his left bicep. His sandy brown hair and matching eye colour seemed to compliment his cool demeanour as he held his arms folded while leaning by the doorway. "The freshman over here wants the two of you to fight in the hallway for her affection."

Several of the people who had overheard him chuckled as the girl physically recalled from the embarrassment, looking likely to run away at any moment. Jaden even smiled at the teasing comment.

"Shut your trap Kuishiro, I'll see what she wants." The boy took Jaden's mock cruel words well and just chuckled as he re-joined his friends. Kota followed Jaden to where the girl was waiting and closed the door behind him. Jaden gave a kind smile to the first-year to reassure her as she still looked flustered from before. "Don't mind Kuishiro. He jokes around a lot, but he's a nice guy. Don't take what he says too seriously."

"I see..." The girl seemed to calm herself a little, but she continued to keep her eyes away from her upperclassmen.

"What do you need us for? I don't believe we've met."

"You two are friends with Yonashi-senpai right?" Jaden and Kota looked at each other, both not sure how to answer.

"I think so," Kota spoke in a somewhat uneasy manner. "We had a fight this morning, so I can't be sure."

"You saw her this morning!?"

"Huh? Yeah…" A sickening feeling started to fill Kota's stomach. "Why? Did something happen?" The young girl twirled her index finger in her hair, wearing a sad look as struggled to find the right words.

"Senpai's in hospital. She passed out on her way to school and isn't waking up." A shocked silence loomed over the hallway as Jaden's mouth twitched as if he had just heard a cringe-worthy joke.

"What?" Jaden's voice was suddenly weak, barely carrying to the girl. "So she just collapsed for no reason? Does anyone know what happened to her!?"

"I don't know what happened. Her mother told me everything she knew over the phone, but I'm sure that the doctors are figuring that out now." Disturbed by the lack of information on Akina's wellbeing, Jaden looked to Kota as he was being unusually quiet.

The boy remained where he stood, though shacking slightly at the hands. His face showed little expression aside from the dull-blue eyes which were unblinking, frozen from the shock. In his perturbed state, the same four words circled his mind in a constant loop.

'This is my fault.'

* * *

The next class was in session and Kota couldn't shake the terrible feeling that he had since he heard the news about Akina. He regretted letting her run from him and not looking to find out why she was so bothered during those last few days. Despite not knowing for sure why she fell into a coma, Kota's intuition led him to believe that it was linked to how odd she was acting earlier. If only he wasn't so absorbed with his own problems...

"Isarota. What's the matter?" Mr Takenozuka, the school's physics teacher, looked Kota with a worried look. The teen had only just noticed that he had been crying, leaving small tear puddles reflecting the bright sunlight from his desk. "If you're having difficultly writing the words on the board before I erase them, you could just borough one of your friends' notes. Gatogi, maybe you could write another set of notes for Isarota."

"But sir, I'm struggling to write note just for myself. You're going through everything so quickly." It was apparent this was a problem the entire class had with their physics teacher.

"Nonsense! You kids are just not use to writing with all the time you spend on myface, or whatever it's called." Mr Takenozuka looked to Kota again as the boy hurriedly wiped the tears off of his face and desk. "You could step out the room for a bit if you need to, you're starting to bring down the mood." Glancing at the empty seat beside him, Kota grabbed his bag before leaving the room without looking back.

He stood just outside the classroom once the doors shut behind him, trying to process what just happened. Why was he feeling so emphatic towards Akina all of a sudden? It was something he couldn't explain, but it as if his very existence was relying on her wellbeing, and not just her's either.

Kota thought back to his fight in the Subex where he was precariously close to death. When he was engulfed by the flames of the mecha's missiles, Jaden's safety being in jeopardy was what he feared most at that moment. It was like his own life didn't matter as long as everyone else was doing well. Could it have something to do with the fact he doesn't even know who he is?

Quickly dismissing the depressing thought, Kota decided to skip the rest of the school day despite not even getting though a single lesson. Taking off for the front exit, Kota realised that he probably couldn't visit Akina without running into an awkward situation with the parents or hospital staff. With nothing better to do, the wildcard user headed for the dormitory.

* * *

Kota looked around the dormitory foyer as soon as he returned. The first thing he wanted to do was to find something that made enough noise to drown out his thoughts. Barely a minute pasted and Kota found a traditional radio behind the counter. It looked to be a model that would have been popular short of a decade ago, but it looked to be in good condition considering that fact. He switched the device on, thankful that he didn't have to search for batteries as well, and fiddled with the dial until catchy rock music started blaring through the speakers. While he lay on the nearby couch, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes, Kota continued to listen to the radio as the station's news update sounded out.

_And in World News, searches for survivors beneath rubble are still underway following an earthquake which shook the west coast of the US. The disaster struck at 4am local time, with its presence felt 90km across the state of California. At least 150 people are thought to be missing and 31 people are confirmed dead._

_It is the second natural disaster in as many months, after heavy rain in Argentina caused mudslides, affecting 32 towns and villages where 73 people lost their lives. Exper-_

Kota gave a frustrated groan as the news caster's voice faded, only to be consumed by loud static. As Kota lazily rolled off the couch, more noises were being projected from the radio. A sound not unlike one that is heard when changing channels was vibrating in Kota's ears, becoming more and more frequent over the static as the radio was being approached. With a sense of worry, Kota tweaked the dials to find that the device wasn't responding.

_Hello... Hello can you hear me?_

Kota recoiled from the speakers as a familiar voice suddenly sounded out above the static

"Glitch?"

_I won't be able to hear you so I hope you get this: Somehow another person got over here. Unlike when you and your friend were over here, I don't think that they will be able to fend for themself. I need you to get over here as soon as you can, I'll try and fill you in with what I know when you get here._

The background noise dimmed as the transmission ended, eventually replaced with the catchy tune from the radio station.

For the longest time Kota just stood where he was, looking dumbfound at the radio. Then another thought crossed his mind. A person ended up in the Subex shortly after Akina mysteriously collapsed...

Surely Akina couldn't be the one wondering around that awful place. Surely not.

* * *

When Glitch guided Kota to an archway similar to the one that lead to the spaceship, the teen could feel his heart jumping into his throat. It was only a few blocks from the dormitory where he last saw her, possibly the place where she fell into her coma.

"How do you think this happened?" The question was posed to himself more so than to Glitch, but she answered it anyway.

"I can't say I know. It's unlikely they had a transferral on them, but from what I know it's the only way for people's consciousness to venture here." The trench coat-clad girl gave him a look from beneath the brim of her hat. "Is it someone you know?"

"It... it could be." To hide the hurt on his face, Kota stepped towards the arch and placed his hand on its centre. Unlike the one in Jaden's Subex room, the arch was sealed shut with a solid crimson-red wall appearing where the portal should be. "Why can't we go in?"

"When gateways between layers of consciousness open up, it is almost immediately shut again to prevent the worlds from collapsing over each other. This gateway that leads to your friend's inner thoughts is too unstable to be left open right now." Kota dug his nails into the red matter, as if he was hoping that it was a curtain that he can pull away.

"So there's nothing we can do?" Kota's voice was shaky, despair arising from within his mind.

"There could be a way-"

"Yes?" Kota cut her off. "Whatever I can do I'm willing to try it." While keeping her passive facial expression, Glitch rubbed her chin with her gloved hand.

"Well I can't be sure that it will work, but if you know who's in there, you could find a tangible object that this person has a strong emotional attachment to. If the gateway senses the affection from the object, it may open the door for others to enter." Kota nodded.

"I'll see what I can find." Kota went to return to his silhouette.

"Be sure to come here from inside your dormitory from now on. I'll be waiting for you there."

* * *

The final bell of the day sounded as Kota leaned against the school gate. As the Gekkoukan students streamed out the doors, the cyan-haired boy scanned his eyes over each of the student's faces. He felt his chest start to tighten, a clear sign of his growing restlessness as it escalated with every passing second. Knowing that a person' s life depended on his actions, he had to be sure he wasn't going to waste any time finding something like what Glitch had described. He couldn't think of anything himself, but he knew there was someone he could ask.

Catching sight of Jaden mindlessly walking with music blasting through his earphones, Kota quickly got in his path. Engrossed with his music as he was known to do, the blonde didn't recognise Kota's presence until he almost bumped into him.

"Ah!" As if Kota had just appeared before his eyes, Jaden jumped back with a startled look on his face, accidently hitting another student as he suddenly changed directions. He nervously chuckled in response to the annoyed glare and took off his earphones. "You really have some nerve scaring me like that after you ditched school without me" Jaden spoke in a half joking manner. Kota glumly looked away from Jaden as his way of showing that he wasn't in the mood. He could hear the rock music still playing from Jaden's MP3 player as the ear phones were slipped into his pocket. "You're still feeling down about it huh?" Jaden said in a concerned tone.

"I need to find something so I can save Akina." Kota firmed returned Jaden's gaze. "It's really important that you help me find it."

* * *

"This is the place" Jaden muttered as he and Kota stood in front of a small house that looked to have been constructed decades ago, something which was really rare amongst the other homes in Iwatodai.

Kota had already explained the situation to Jaden as they left the school, and when Kota said that he suspected that Akina was the one trapped in the other world, Jaden lead him straight to the girl's house.

"How do you think we'll get inside?" Kota spoke quietly, not wanting to be heard by anyone that may be inside. Jaden pondered over how he could get into the house. If her parents were home then getting into her room would be impossible without a good excuse.

"I think I have something. Wait here." Jaden stepped up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. There was a long pause after the soft tune could be heard bouncing off the walls behind the door. Jaden was about to reach for the button again when he heard footsteps. Without a rush, the door was opened by a rather thin man. With his slouched stance and pale skin, the man looked to be tired and unwell. The man, who Jaden assumed to be Akina's father, didn't physically react when he saw the local bank manager's son.

"Ahh... Jaden-kun was it?" Jaden felt intimidated as the man's tired gaze remained on him, unmoving. It had only just occurred to Jaden that was probably the worst person to ask for a favour from the Yonashi's. Not only was Jaden's dad assisting in running the company that had been scheming to expand the city at the expense of the surrounding woodlands, but the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group had recently failed in preventing more deforestation by the bank, likely indirectly leading to Akina's collapse. As guilty as Jaden felt bothering him at such a time, he held his ground knowing that he didn't have any other choice. Kota and Akina were depending on him.

"I'm sorry to bother you Yonashi-san, but our physics teacher wanted the class to turn in some work today. He was hoping that someone could collect Akina's assignment for him." It was the best lie that Jaden could come up with. He purposely chose the work to be a physics assignment because if there was a teacher he could throw under the bus, it would be Mr Takenozuka. It was because of the excessive note taking that he made the class do that made Jaden feel like he was coming down with arthritis in his left wrist.

"I haven't heard anything about a physics assignment." Mr Yonashi sighed, showing that he wasn't willing to push the matter. "Come and take a look in her room. I'm sure you'll find it there." Jaden bowed as a sign of gratitude and followed the man inside. Being led through the dimly-lit house to a door at the far end of the house, Mr Yonashi held the door open for Jaden to enter.

Once in the room, Jaden was lucky enough to have Mr Yonashi leave him unsupervised. Seeing what he had gone through over the past 48 hours, the possibility of theft must not faze Akina's parents at the slightest. As much as it made things a lot easier to take something of Akina's without having to explain why he needed it, the sting of taking advantage of his elders' situation felt awful.

Focusing on the task at hand, Jaden looked around the tidy room with the soft carpet beneath his feet. He moved past the neatly-organised bookshelf and dug through the contents of the desk's drawers for anything that would seem useful. Old school notes, flyers on IFPG-organised rallies and the odd paper-back book were all present in the first couple of drawers. Pulling open the bottom drawer open, he was surprised to find the space packed with beauty cosmetics, ranging from foundation powder to eyeliners.

Jaden remembered when he met her a year ago. She would apply that make-up on her whenever she was out in public. The more upset and self-conscious she was, the more make-up she would use to cover her face. Thankfully it was a habit she fell out of shortly before the end of their first year at Gekkoukan.

Thinking back to those days he wondered how they ended up as friends. While he wouldn't openly admit it, he believed that it was their mutual loneliness, brought about by the students' impression of them both being "weird", that forced them together. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important, a moment which made him and Akina see one another as being more than just people the fill the void they both found themselves in.

As he internally searched within his memories to recapture that moment, the image of a girl sitting in the back corner of the classroom crossed his mind. It was the image of Akina when Jaden first met her. The girl's pink beanie covered most of her short white hair as she hid her face behind a stuffed bear she was tightly holding in front of her.

"The bear" Jaden thought out loud as he turned to find that same bear sitting against the pillow on the bed. It was just as the boy remembered it, matted brown fur with bold patches at various parts around the body, chipped nose and one eye remaining loosely attached to the bear's face by a single strand.

It was only for a week, but Jaden could remember Akina carrying the unattractive bear around before she started talking to him. It was an odd sight, but Akina seemed to love that bear. Jaden even made the mistake of making fun of the tired-looking bear, only to be snapped at and told by Akina that it was cute.

Jaden carefully picked up the bear and looked to head to the exit, knowing that the stuffed toy was just what he was searching for. Avoiding the Yonashis with ease, Jaden made sure to yell his thanks before he returned to Kota.

* * *

_Place the item on the table in front of you._

Back in the dormitory, Kota followed the directions of the voice sounding through the old radio, gently placing bear in a sitting position in the centre of the small table.

_Now take your transferral, pull the lid open until it is in its tablet form and press the button while directing the screen to the object._

Again Kota acted on what he was told and held the tablet as steadily as he could as he pressed the button. A pulse emitted from the screen and hit the bear, bending around the toy's form and ignoring the table it was placed on. Seconds later, the screen sent two flashes of white light and went back offline.

_It's all good over here. I have the stuffed bear. Meet me over at the gateway when you're ready._

White noise grew after Glitch made her final statement before fading to silence, signalling that she had lifted her influence over the old device.

"Thanks for your help Jaden" Kota spoke as he put the transferral back into its laptop form. "I'll be sure to bring Akina back safe and sound."

"I'll?" Jaden frowned at Kota. "You're not telling me you plan on going there by yourself are you?"

"Of course." Jaden's firm gaze didn't waver. "I'll be fine, and you won't be able to come with me anyway."

"Yeah I can." Jaden pulled out his own green and gold variant of the transferral from his bag. "I had the same power as you remember?" Kota shook his head.

"It's too dangerous over there. You could get killed. I'm sorry but I can't have you put your life at risk again."

"She's my friend too you know!" Jaden's sudden spike in the volume of his voice caused Kota to jump. The cyan-haired boy could see Jaden's eyes turn from frustration to sadness as the pair held their tongues. "And I'm worried about you too, so at least let be there if you need a shoulder to lean on."

From hearing those words, Kota felt a sense of strength rising from within him. Up until he heard that, Kota felt that he was expendable due to the lack of friends and family ties he had. His wellbeing mattered to someone, and Kota couldn't help but let out a small smile.

"If you allow me to support you too then I won't have a problem taking you with me."

"You've got it." Jaden held his hand out and Kota firmly shook it. Even if the bond the two held was recently formed, he could feel a strong amount of trust start to flow through it.

* * *

**A/N:**

It has been a while, so I figure that a little talk in order. As you may not know, I am still studying at my university and won't be finished until mid-December (ew!). Thankfully all of my assignments have been submitted and there's still another week before exam preparations are underway, so I decided to knuckle down and post another chapter before I leave you guys waiting for another month. Hopefully the wait has been worth it despite the lack of fighting, but there will be another chapter with (almost) nothing but that if that's what you're hoping for.

Unfortunately I won't be posting for another month so be sure to support me in my upcoming exams. Alternatively if you couldn't care less about me but like what you have read so far, let me know what you're liking so far under a review (or PM if you're a bit shy like me). If you think the story has deserves it, why not leave a follow or a favourite if you haven't already.

That's it from me for the time being, I sincerely hope you're enjoying the journey so far (along with my funny English for those who are use to the US version). Until next time.

Constant-Daze

* * *

**Persona Profile 1**

Name: Arthur  
User: Kota Isarota  
Arcana: Fool

**Attributes**

Resist: Wind  
Weak: Fire

**Stat Distribution**

Strength: 7/10  
Magic: 5/10  
Endurance: 7/10  
Agility: 5/10  
Luck: 6/10

Physical Str: 7/10  
Mental Str: 5/10

**Fighting Style**

Flexible

**Skills**

Zio

Garu

Cleave

Rakukaja


End file.
